scour

Meaning

Verb

1. (transitive) To clean, polish, or wash (something) by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously, frequently with an abrasive or cleaning agent.
2. (transitive) To remove debris and dirt (from something) by purging; to sweep along or off by a current of water.
3. (transitive) To clear the digestive tract (of an animal) by administering medication that induces defecation or vomiting; to purge.
4. (ambitransitive) To (cause livestock to) suffer from diarrhoea or dysentery.
5. (ambitransitive, obsolete) To cleanse (something) without rubbing.

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The removal of sediment caused by swiftly moving water.
2. (countable, uncountable) A place scoured out by running water, as in the bed of a stream below a waterfall.
3. (countable, uncountable) A place where wool is washed to remove grease and impurities prior to processing.
4. (countable, uncountable) Diarrhoea, in livestock; scouring.

Synonyms

scrub

rub

wash

🧽

scrape

clean

abrade

cleanse

purge

wipe

flush

brush

polish

🇵🇱

chafe

search

comb

rub vigorously

rub against

grind

wring

brush off

wash away

scratch

wash out

rummage

hunt

clean off

dredge

channel

defecate

duel

cream

bathe

consecrate

coin

🪙

groove

clear out

career

bang

clearance

free

🆓

clear

fray

foment

fret

go round

graze

fly

✈️

flux

hammer

🔨

break

Translations

récurer

strofinare

pulizia

décaper

fregar

🧽

scheuern

battre

purger

frotter

racler

wringen

umherstreifen

nettoyer

parcourir

auswringen

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈskaʊə/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: scouren

Cognate with Middle Low German: schǖren

Cognate with Danish: skure

Cognate with Middle High German: schüren

Cognate with German: scheuern

Cognate with Norwegian: skura

Cognate with Swedish: skura

Cognate with Catalan: escurar

In summary

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.