scour

== English == === Alternative forms === scower (obsolete) === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈskaʊə/ (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈskaʊɚ/, /skaʊɹ/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /skæɔə/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈskæʊə/ Hyphenation: scour Rhymes: -aʊə(ɹ), -aʊ.ə(ɹ) === Etymology 1 === From Middle English scǒuren (“to polish, scour; to clean; to beat, whip”), from Middle Dutch scuren, schuren (“to clean; to polish”) or Middle Low German schǖren, of uncertain origin but probably from Old French escurer, from Medieval Latin scūrō, escūrō, excūrō (“to clean off”), from ex- (“thoroughly”) + cūrō (“to arrange, see to, take care of”), from cūra (“care, concern”) (from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeys- (“to heed”)) + -ō. The word is cognate with Danish skure, Middle High German schüren, schiuren (modern German scheuern (“to scour, scrub; to chafe”)), Norwegian skura (“to scrub”), Swedish skura, Catalan escurar. ==== Verb ==== scour (third-person singular simple present scours, present participle scouring, simple past and past participle scoured) (transitive) To clean, polish, or wash (something) by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously, frequently with an abrasive or cleaning agent. (transitive) To remove debris and dirt (from something) by purging; to sweep along or off by a current of water. (transitive, veterinary medicine) To clear the digestive tract (of an animal) by administering medication that induces defecation or vomiting; to purge. (ambitransitive, veterinary medicine) To (cause livestock to) suffer from diarrhoea or dysentery. (ambitransitive, obsolete) To cleanse (something) without rubbing. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== scullery ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== scour (countable and uncountable, plural scours) The removal of sediment caused by swiftly moving water. A place scoured out by running water, as in the bed of a stream below a waterfall. A place where wool is washed to remove grease and impurities prior to processing. Diarrhoea, in livestock; scouring. ===== Derived terms ===== black scour ice scour toe scour white scour ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From Middle English scǒuren, scure, skoure (“to move quickly; to travel around in search of enemies”), from scǒur (“attack, conflict; pang of emotional suffering”), from Old Norse skýra (“to rush in”) and skúr (“a shower; a shower of missiles”), perhaps influenced by the verb scǒuren: see etymology 1. ==== Verb ==== scour (third-person singular simple present scours, present participle scouring, simple past and past participle scoured) (transitive) To search an area thoroughly. (intransitive) To run with speed; to scurry. (transitive) To move swiftly over; to brush along. ===== Translations ===== === See also === scoury === References === === Further reading === scour (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Anagrams === Orcus, cours, sucro-