scum

Definitions

1. 1.refuse; recrement; anything vile or worthless. The great and innocent are insulted by the scum and refuse of the people. Addison.
2. 2.To take the scum from; to clear off the impure matter from the surface of; to skim. You that scum the molten lead. Dryden & Lee.
3. 3.To sweep or range over the surface of. [Obs.] Wandering up and down without certain seat, they lived by scumming those seas and shores as pirates. Milton.
4. 4.To form a scum; to become covered with scum. Also used figuratively. Life, and the interest of life, have stagnated and scummed over. A. K. H. Boyd.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Related questions

• What does "scum" mean?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is scum.

• What is refuse; recrement; anything vile or worthless. The great and innocent are insulted by the scum and refuse of the people. Addison called?
• What is to take the scum from; to clear off the impure matter from the surface of; to skim. You that scum the molten lead. Dryden & Lee called?
• What is to sweep or range over the surface of. [Obs.] Wandering up and down without certain seat, they lived by scumming those seas and shores as pirates. Milton called?
• What is to form a scum; to become covered with scum. Also used figuratively. Life, and the interest of life, have stagnated and scummed over. A. K. H. Boyd called?