Scum1. (n.) The extraneous matter or impurities which rise to the surface of liquids in boiling or fermentation, or which form on the surface by other means; also, the scoria of metals in a molten state; dross.
2. (v.) refuse; recrement; anything vile or worthless.
3. (v. t.) To take the scum from; to clear off the impure matter from the surface of; to skim.
4. (v. t.) To sweep or range over the surface of.
5. (v. i.) To form a scum; to become covered with scum. Also used figuratively.
Thesaurus Entries
aerate, alluvion, alluvium, androcyte, antheridium, antherozoid, apply to, ash, beat, bilge, bilgewater, blanket, block, bones, breakers, canaille, canopy, carrion, cattle, chaff, cinder, clinker, cloak, clothe, cloud, coat, coating, collar, collop, cope, cover, cover up, covering, cowl, cream, culm, cur, curtain, cut, deadwood, deal, deposition, deposits, diluvium, dishwater, disk, ditchwater, draff, dregs, dregs of society, dross, dust, eclipse, ember, enamel, facing, feces, feuille, filings, film, flap, foam, foil, fold, froth, fur, garbage, gash, glop, grounds, gunk, head, hogwash, hood, husks, lacquer, lamella, lamina, laminated glass, laminated wood, lap, lather, lay on, lay over, leaf, leavings, lees, loess, male gamete, mantle, mask, masses, membrane, meringue, milt, mire, mob, moraine, mousse, muck, muffle, obduce, obscure, occult, offal, offscourings, offscum, ooze, orts, overlay, overspread, paint, pane, panel, parings, patina, peel, pellicle, plait, plank, plate, plating, ply, plywood, pollen, potsherds, precipitate, precipitation, prick, proletariat, protein, puff, put on, raff, rags, ragtag and bobtail, rasher, raspings, refuse, revetment, riffraff, rubbish, safety glass, scale, scoria, scourings, scrap iron, scraps, screen, scud, scurf, sea foam, sediment, seed, semen, seminal fluid, settlings, sewage, sewerage, shards, shavings, sheet, shield, shit, shithead, silt, sinter, skin, skunk, slab, slack, slag, slat, slice, slime, slob, slop, slops, slosh, slough, sludge, slush, smut, snake, soapsuds, soot, sordes, souffle, sperm, sperm cell, spermagonium, spermatic fluid, spermatid, spermatiophore, spermatium, spermatocyte, spermatogonium, spermatophore, spermatozoa, spermatozoid, spermatozoon, spindrift, splosh, spoondrift, spray, spread over, spume, stinging, stinker, stubble, sublimate, sud, suds, superimpose, superpose, surf, sweepings, swill, swinish multitude, table, tablet, tares, toad, trash, turd, unwashed, varnish, veil, veneer, vermin, wafer, wastage, waste, waste matter, wastepaper, weeds, whip, whisk, white water