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scum

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scum

  [skuhm] noun, verb, scummed, scum⋅ming.
Use scum in a Sentence
–noun
1. a film or layer of foul or extraneous matter that forms on the surface of a liquid.
2. refuse or offscourings.
3. a low, worthless, or evil person.
4. such persons collectively; riffraff; dregs.
5. scoria (def. 1).
–verb (used with object)
6. to remove the scum from.
7. to remove as scum.
–verb (used without object)
8. to form scum; become covered with scum.
Origin:
1200–50; ME scume < MD schūme (D schuim) foam; c. G Schaum foam

Related forms:
scumless, adjective
scumlike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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scum   (skŭm)   
n.  

  1. A filmy layer of extraneous or impure matter that forms on or rises to the surface of a liquid or body of water.

  2. The refuse or dross of molten metals.

  3. Refuse or worthless matter.

  4. Slang One, such as a person or an element of society, that is regarded as despicable or worthless.

v.   scummed, scum·ming, scums

v.   tr.
To remove the scum from.
v.   intr.
To become covered with scum.

[Middle English, from Middle Dutch schūm; see (s)keu- in Indo-European roots.]
scum'mer n., scum'mi·ly adv., scum'mi·ness n., scum'my adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
scum

  1. n.
    a totally worthless and disgusting person. (Rude and derogatory.) : You scum! Get out of here!
  2. n.
    low-life in general; disgusting and worthless people. (Rude and derogatory.) : Fourth Street is where all the scum in town hangs out.
  3. n.
    semen; seminal fluid. (Usually objectionable.) : You'd better clean up the scum from the backseat before you take the car home.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

scum 
1326 (implied in scummer "shallow ladle for removing scum"), from M.Du. schume "foam, froth," from P.Gmc. *skuma- (cf. O.N. skum, O.H.G. scum, Ger. Schaum "foam, froth"), perhaps from PIE base *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (see hide (n.1)). Sense deteriorated from "thin layer atop liquid" to "film of dirt," then just "dirt." Meaning "lowest class of humanity" is 1586; scum of the Earth is from 1712. Adopted in Romanic, cf. O.Fr. escume, Mod.Fr. écume, Sp. escuma, It. schiuma. Adj. scummy first attested 1577; transf. sense of "filthy, disreputable" is recorded from 1932. Slang scumbag "condom" is from 1967; meaning "despicable person" is from 1971.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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