scour
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskaʊə/
ipa: /ˈskaʊɚ/
ipa: /skaʊɹ/
ipa: /skæɔə/
ipa: /ˈskæʊə/
rhymes: -aʊə(ɹ)
rhymes: -aʊ.ə(ɹ)
Forms: form: scours
form: scower
Etymology: 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.
Senses: examples: text: Bridge scour may scoop out scour holes and compromise the integrity of the structure.
text: The general manner of working this sluice is to take in every alternate tide during the high tides in dry weather, and to let them off for scours for the harbour. In wet weather, or during neap tides, no scours are kept back, nor is it of any consequence to the harbour if no tides are suffered to pass up through the sluice at such times.
ref: 1845, John Meryon, “An Account of the Origin and Formation of the Harbour of the Ancient Town of Rye; […]”, in John Weale, editor, Quarterly Papers on Engineering, volume IV, number VII, London: John Weale […], →OCLC, Section IV (Of the Four Sluices, and on Their Comparative Good and Evil Effects on Their Respective Channels. Of the Alleged Danger of an Open Channel. Of the Wicked Perversion of Harbour Funds to Individual Profit.), page 77:
text: It is believed that scour, caused by record river flows as a result of snow melt and heavy rainfall, triggered the collapse of the Yellowstone Twin River Bridges in Stillwater County, Montana, on June 24.
ref: 2023 July 12, “Network News: US bridge collapse highlights dangers of river scour”, in RAIL, number 987, page 11:
glosses: The removal of sediment caused by swiftly moving water.
examples: text: Fish as near the middle of the stream as you can in the spring months, and also on the shallows and scowers; but in the winter, in deep holes; let the bait drag two or three inches on the ground.
ref: 1825, Pierce Egan, “The Chub, or Chevin”, in Sporting Anecdotes, Original and Selected; […], new considerably enlarged and improved edition, London: […] Sherwood, Jones and Co. […], →OCLC, page 220:
text: Trout always have a recognised home of their own, inhabited by a pretty fixed number of individuals. If you catch the two sole denizens of a particular scour, you will find another pair installed in their place to-morrow.
ref: 1881, Grant Allen, “Speckled Trout”, in The Evolutionist at Large, London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, pages 115–116:
glosses: A place scoured out by running water, as in the bed of a stream below a waterfall.
examples: text: I am particularly interested in the wool processing indusries, which make a major contribution to the Hawke's Bay regional economy. There are five wool scours in the area, all of them located within the Hawke's Bay electorate. […] I am pleased to report that the prototype Drycom system was given its first full trial at the UEB Awatoto scour in Hawke's Bay.
ref: 1984 September 19, Bill [William David] Sutton, “Address in Reply”, in Parliamentary Debates (Hansard): First Session, Forty-first Parliament, 1984: House of Representatives, volume 457, Wellington: P. D. Hasselberg, government printer, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 327:
glosses: A place where wool is washed to remove grease and impurities prior to processing.
examples: text: The Cause and Nature of the Skit, or Scour, of Sheep and Lambs.
ref: 1749, William Ellis, A Compleat System of Experienced Improvements, Made on Sheep, Grass-lambs, and House-lambs: Or, ... the Shepherd's Sure Guide: ... In Three Books. By William Ellis, ..., page 355:
text: […] lambs, and on the appearance of the skit or scour, the necessity for a change of food is indicated.
ref: 1900, Thomas Hartwell Horne, The Complete Grazier and Farmers' and Cattle-breeders' Assistant: Forming a Compendium of Husbandry, page 1051:
glosses: Diarrhoea, in livestock; scouring.
Derived terms: black scour
ice scour
toe scour
white scour