: frothy matter on liquids : foam, scum
ocean spume

spume

2 of 2

verb

spumed; spuming

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Spume is a word for froth or foam that has been a part of the English lexicon for more than 600 years. An early example is found in a 14th-century quotation from the English poet John Gower: "She set a cauldron on the fire … and let it boil in such a plight, till that she saw the spume [was] white." "Spume" was borrowed from Anglo-French espume or "spume," and can be traced further back to Latin spuma. "Spuma" is also akin to Old English "fām," a word that is the ancestor of the modern English "foam," a synonym of "spume." Another relative of "spuma" is "pumex," the Latin word for pumice, a volcanic rock with a somewhat foamy appearance that is formed from a rapidly cooling, frothy lava.

Examples of spume in a Sentence

Noun spume floating on the ocean
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
But for all those currents to crash together in a great spume of music and emotion on December 18, 1962, artists and audiences required a special room, the basic apparatus of togetherness in Europe’s musical tradition. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin spuma — more at foam

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spume was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Spume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spume. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

spume

noun
ˈspyüm
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