chum
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
1675–85; of uncertain origin, possibly from cham, shortening of chambermate, or from comrade.
Noun[edit]
chum (plural chums)
- A friend; a pal.
- I ran into an old chum from school the other day.
- (dated) A roommate, especially in a college or university.
- 1856 in The Knickerbocker: Or, New-York Monthly Magazine [1]
- Field had a 'chum,' or room-mate, whose visage was suggestive to the 'Sophs;' it invited experiment; it held out opportunity for their peculiar deviltry.
- 1856 in The Knickerbocker: Or, New-York Monthly Magazine [1]
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Wikisaurus:friend
Translations[edit]
A roommate
Verb[edit]
chum (third-person singular simple present chums, present participle chumming, simple past and past participle chummed)
- To share rooms with; to live together.
- 1899 Clyde Bowman Furst, A Group of Old Authors [2]
- Henry Wotton and John Donne began to be friends when, as boys, they chummed together at Oxford, where Donne had gone at the age of twelve years.
- 1899 Clyde Bowman Furst, A Group of Old Authors [2]
- To make friends with; to socialize.
- 1902 Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness [3]
- "I was not surprised to see somebody sitting aft, on the deck, with his legs dangling over the mud. You see I rather chummed with the few mechanics there were in that station, whom the other pilgrims naturally despised -- on account of their imperfect manners, I suppose. This was the foreman -- a boiler-maker by trade -- a good worker...
- 1902 Ernest William Hornung, The Amateur Cracksman [4]
- "You'll make yourself disliked on board!"
- "By von Heumann merely."
- "But is that wise when he's the man we've got to diddle?"
- "The wisest thing I ever did. To have chummed up with him would have been fatal -- the common dodge."
- 1902 Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness [3]
- (Scotland, informal) To accompany.
- I'll chum you down to the shops.
Etymology 2[edit]
Perhaps from Powhatan.
Noun[edit]
chum (uncountable)
- (fishing) A mixture of (frequently rancid) fish parts and blood, dumped into the water to attract predator fish, such as sharks.
Verb[edit]
chum (third-person singular simple present chums, present participle chumming, simple past and past participle chummed)
- (fishing) To cast chum into the water to attract fish.
- 1996 Frank Sargeant, The Reef Fishing Book: A Complete Anglers Guide [5]
- Small live baitfish are effective, and they will take bits of fresh cut fish when chummed strongly.
- 1996 Frank Sargeant, The Reef Fishing Book: A Complete Anglers Guide [5]
Anagrams[edit]
French[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA: /tʃɔm/
Noun[edit]
chum m (plural chums)
- (Canada, informal) A boyfriend (Feminine form: blonde).
- Elle m'a présenté son nouveau chum.
- She introduced me to her new boyfriend.
- Je croyais qu'il était rien qu'un ami à Éric mais en fait c'est son chum.
- I believed that he wasn't just another of Éric's friends, but in fact his boyfriend.
- Elle m'a présenté son nouveau chum.
- (Canada, chiefly slang) A friend, usually male; a chum (Feminine form: chum de fille).
- J'suis allé danser avec un gang de mes chums.
- I went to dance with a group of my male friends.
- J'suis allé danser avec un gang de mes chums.
Synonyms[edit]
Irish[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA: [xuːmˠ], [xʊmˠ]
Verb form[edit]
chum
Usage notes[edit]
Used with a noun or pronoun as the subject.
Related terms[edit]
- chumas (1st person sing., nonstandard)
- chumais (2d person sing., nonstandard)
- chumamar (1st person pl.)
- chumabhar (2d person pl., nonstandard)
- chumadar (3d person pl., nonstandard)
Scottish Gaelic[edit]
Preposition[edit]
chum
- Alternative form of chun.
Verb[edit]
chum
- Past tense of cum
Categories:
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English dated terms
- English verbs
- Scottish English
- English informal terms
- English terms derived from Powhatan
- English uncountable nouns
- en:Fishing
- French nouns
- French masculine nouns
- Canadian French
- French informal terms
- French slang
- Irish verb forms
- Irish mutated forms
- Scottish Gaelic prepositions
- Scottish Gaelic verb forms