Term Paper on "Etymology of the Word Scum"

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Etymology of the Word Scum

The word scum, pronounced as http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/ubreve.gif m could be use in many forms. As a noun, it could refer to a layer of dirt or froth on the surface of a liquid or, informally, a worthless or contemptible person or group of people. It could also be used as a verb in the form of scummed or scumming that means to cover or become covered with a layer of scum. Scummy, pronounced as / 'sk&-mE/, is also an adjective derivative of the word scum. It could be further qualified to scummier and scummiest. (http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/scum?view=uk) Scum could also be used as a verb in the form of scummed, scumming or scums or as an intransitive verb that means to become covered with scum. (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000)

The etymology of the word scum started in 1326, when it was implied in scummer "shallow ladle for removing scum." It came from the Middle Dutch schume, meaning foam or froth, from P.Gmc. skuma-, cf. Old Norse skum, Old High German scum, and German Schaum meaning foam or froth.

Scum may also come from Indo-European base (s)keu that means to cover or conceal. The implication of the word evolved from "thin layer atop liquid" to "film of dirt" and eventually simply "dirt" in 1586 meaning the "lowest class of humanity." The word was also used as scum of the Earth in the year 1712.

Scum was then adopted in Romanic, cf. Old French escume, to Modern French ecume, Spanish escuma, and to Italian schiuma. It was used as an adjective in the form of scummy during the year 1577. The definition of "filthy, disreputable" was given during the year 1932. Scum was eventually

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transformed into its slang term scumbag, implying condom, during the year 1967. (D. Harper, 2001)

The Indo-European root of the word scum, which is (s)keu-, holds the meaning "to cover or conceal." Its zero-grade form is (s)ku-, variant of http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/schwa.gif

-, zero-grade form of http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/schwa.gif

- and later on contracted to http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif

-. The derivatives of these include the words sku, meerschaum, scum, obscure, recoil, and hoard. There are also suffixed basic forms of the mentioned derivatives. Sky came from Old Norse http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/ymacr.gif meaning cloud. Skewbald came from the Scandinavian source which is also similar to the Old Norse cloud or http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/ymacr.gif

The zero-grade form http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif

- was suffixed to form http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif

-mo-. Its derivatives are skim, from the Old French excume or scum, meerschaum, from the Old High German http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif m, also implying scum, and scum, from Middle Dutch http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif m. All of the three mentioned derivatives come from Germanic http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif maz meaning foam or scum, implied in "that which covers the water." The form http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif

- was also suffixed to http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif

-ro-. Its derivatives are obscure and chiaroscuro from the Latin http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif rus meaning "covered or dark." The prefix ob- in Latin means "away from."

Another zero-grade form of (s)keu- is http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/ubrevema.gif

-. It is suffixed to form http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif

-ti that means "hide" from the Old English form http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/ymacr.gif d, skin, hide, from the German form http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/umacr.gif diz. The same zero-grade form was also suffixed, forming ku-ti-. The derivatives of this are cutaneous, cuticle, cutis and cutin from the Latin word cutis meaning skin.

A lus which means the rump or backside. It may also have been suffixed to form ku-to-, with the derivative -cyte, cyto- form the Greek term kutos which means hollow or vessel. An extended zero-grade form kus- also gave the derivatives hose and hosel, which came from the Old English term hosa or hose that is defined as "covering for the leg." It also produced the term lederhosen that came from Old High German term hosa meaning "leg covering." The aforementioned terms all came from Germanic http://bartleby.com/images/pronunciation/omacr.gif n-. This Germanic form could also then be suffixed to form kuz-dho- or extended to kudh-to-. This gave the derivative… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Etymology of the Word Scum" Assignment:

“

Etymology of the word 'scum '

The following information should be included in this essay in which you trace the etymology of the word you have selected in the OED(Oxford English Dictionary)

1. Pronunciation(in symbols)guide

2. Any specifications of use(e.g. Mus. or Botany)

3. Earlier forms of spelling

4. The Form History of the word.

e.g. shwerdly- was formed from the verb

shwerde- which turn formed the noun

schwerdel- meaning being in a state of confusion

Be sure to note if it was:

-adopted or adapted from a particular scholarly borrowing or otherwise

- if the word was reconstructed

5. Discussion of various Significations(definitions) with

reference to obsolete forms or archaic forms

6. Rendering of Illustrative Quotations from the earliest to the most recent.

- Be sure to write out citations in full

- If possible, use one from each definition

This is an Essay. Be sure to follow the rules of good rhetorical development.

The OED(Oxford English Dictionary) must be used as the main source. No other source is necessary but can be used to back up OED findings.

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