scour
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskaʊə/
ipa: /ˈskaʊɚ/
ipa: /skaʊɹ/
ipa: /skæɔə/
ipa: /ˈskæʊə/
rhymes: -aʊə(ɹ)
rhymes: -aʊ.ə(ɹ)
Forms: form: scours
form: scouring
form: scoured
form: scoured
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: He scoured the burnt food from the pan.
text: If tranſcribers and printers, or editors, will be perpetually varying from the ſpelling of their author, we ſhall neceſſarily have a conſtant ſource of corruption: for by this alteration, which inſenſibly goes on from ſmaller to greater things, that antique caſt is loſt, which of itſelf carries ſo venerable an aſpect; and our modern editors, in this reſpect, reſemble the officious ſervant of the late learned antiquary Dr. Woodward, who in ſcowering off the ruſt from an old ſhield, which his maſter had juſt purchaſed, made it more reſemble the new ſcowered cover of an old kettle, than the ſhield of an ancient heroe.
ref: 1751, John Upton, A Letter Concerning a New Edition of Spenser’s Faerie Queene. To Gilbert West, Esq., London: […] G. Hawkins, […], →OCLC, section VI, page 36:
text: They all looked directly at the ſcullion,—the ſcullion had juſt been ſcouring a fiſh-kettle.
ref: 1762, [Laurence Sterne], chapter IX, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume V, London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […], →OCLC, page 52:
text: A light brown sand, of an exceeding fine grain, almost impalpable, from the river Sullane, near New-bridge, where it is found in plenty. It scours brass without scratching, cleans silver, and is excellent for casting the finer works, both of the brazier and silversmith.
ref: 1815, Charles Smith, “Of the Most Remarkable Fossils Discovered in this County”, in The Ancient and Present State of the County and City of Cork. […], new edition, volume II, Cork, Munster, Ireland: […] John Connor, […], →OCLC, paragraph 2, page 391:
text: There were the tawny rocks, like lions couchant, defying the ocean, whose waves incessantly dashed against and scoured them with vast quantities of gravel.
ref: 1865, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “The Shipwreck”, in [Sophia Thoreau; William Ellery Channing], editors, Cape Cod, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 14:
glosses: To clean, polish, or wash (something) by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously, frequently with an abrasive or cleaning agent.
examples: text: I will redeeme all this on Percies head, / And in the cloſing of ſome glorious day / Be bold to tell you that I am your ſonne, / When I will weare a garment all of bloud, / And ſtaine my fauors in a bloudy maske, / Which waſht away ſhall ſcoure my ſhame with it, […]
ref: c. 1597 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The History of Henrie the Fourth; […], quarto edition, London: […] P[eter] S[hort] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1598, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
english: I will redeem myself by defeating Percy, / And at the close of some glorious day, / [I will] be bold to tell you that I am your son, / When I will be covered in blood like wearing a garment, / And my face is stained with blood as if wearing a mask, / Which, when washed away, shall scour my shame with it, […]
translation: I will redeem myself by defeating Percy, / And at the close of some glorious day, / [I will] be bold to tell you that I am your son, / When I will be covered in blood like wearing a garment, / And my face is stained with blood as if wearing a mask, / Which, when washed away, shall scour my shame with it, […]
bold_translation_offsets: 282
287
text: It has already been explained that the ebb tide in the Hooghly is a much more powerful scouring agent than the flood tide, that the tide therefore should be used for scouring a channel in preference to the flood whenever it is practicable to use it, hence it is to the body of ebbing water that scours out the fine channel from Akelmeg to Crossing Creek that attention will be principally directed, and not to the flood that scours the channel near the Roopnarain entrance.
ref: 1865, Hugh Leonard, “Upper Section.—The James and Mary Shoals.”, in Report on the River Hooghly, … Bengal, 1865, London: […] George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode, printers to the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, for Her Majesty's Stationery Office, →OCLC, paragraph 92, page 28:
glosses: To remove debris and dirt (from something) by purging; to sweep along or off by a current of water.
examples: text: to scour a horse
topics: biology
medicine
natural-sciences
pathology
sciences
veterinary
zoology
glosses: To clear the digestive tract (of an animal) by administering medication that induces defecation or vomiting; to purge.
examples: text: If a lamb is scouring, do not delay treatment.
text: It has been stated by trustworthy authorities that certain waters in the lias-formation possess scouring properties. […] Mr. Clarke likewise mentions two cases. "In one instance," he says, "a large piece of pasture-land was found to scour the cows kept upon it, to the great loss of the occupier, until he hit upon the expedient of cutting off the supply of spring-water from a neighbouring brook, and confining the supply to the rain-water held in the ditches,—the result of which has been that very little of the disorder has since appeared upon the land referred to.[…]"
ref: 1862, Augustus Voelcker, “X.—On the Scouring Lands of Central Somerset. … [Report of an Investigation Made at the Request of the Council of the Bath and West of England Society.]”, in Journal of the Bath and West of England Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, volume X, part I, London: James Ridgway, […], →OCLC, section 3 (Examination of the Water Theory), page 191:
topics: biology
medicine
natural-sciences
pathology
sciences
veterinary
zoology
glosses: To (cause livestock to) suffer from diarrhoea or dysentery.
examples: text: It is reported, that in ſome Lakes, the Water is ſo Nitrous, as if Foule Cloathes be put into it, it ſcoureth them of it ſelfe: And if they ſtay any whit long, they moulder away. And the Scouring Vertue of Nitre is the more to be noted, becauſe it is a Body Cold; And wee ſee Warme Water ſcoureth better than Cold.
ref: 1631, Francis [Bacon], “IV. Century. [Experiment Solitary Touching Nitre [marginal note].]”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC, paragraph 362, page 95:
text: Flanders soap is the substance which appeared to act in the most advantageous manner; it scowers very speedily, and gives wool a degree of whiteness which it is extremely difficult to produce by any other means.
ref: 1805 August, Bouillon Lagrange, “Extract from a Memoir on the Steeping of Wool, and the Influence of Its Different States on Dyeing. […]”, in The Repertory of Arts, Manufactures, and Agriculture, volume XXXIX (Second Series), London: Printed for J. Wyatt, […], →OCLC, page 222:
glosses: To cleanse (something) without rubbing.
Derived terms: scourage
scour down
scourer
scouring pad
scouring powder
scouring rush
scour out
scours
scour up
unscoured
Related terms: scullery