Scour

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈskaʊə/

Definitions

1. To clean or brighten a surface by rubbing it hard, to search thoroughly or examine carefully, or to remove unwanted substances or items by scrubbing vigorously
2. To cleanse or polish by rubbing forcefully, to investigate or search exhaustively, or to clear away dirt or impurities through intense scrubbing
3. To rub something briskly to remove dirt, to conduct an extensive search or a detailed inspection, or to eliminate grime or unwanted elements through thorough scrubbing

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "scour" is that its clean-up sense may trace back to a Latin word meaning "to take care of." Medieval Latin "scurare" or "excurare," formed from "ex-" (thoroughly) and "curare" (to see to, take care of), was used for cleaning things off, and it likely passed through Old French "escurer" into the Germanic-speaking world. The exact route is uncertain, but the Latin root shows that the idea of thorough tending sits at the heart of the word. Meanwhile, English had its own unrelated "scour." Middle English "scouren" also meant to move quickly or to travel about in search of enemies, and it came from "scour," meaning an attack or a pang of suffering. That word was linked to Old Norse "skýra," to rush in, and "skúr," a shower, especially of missiles. The two strands probably blurred together in English, with the Dutch and Low German cleaning sense winning out for the verb we use today.

Synonyms: clean, scrub, polish, wash, buff

Antonyms: dirty, soil, smear, stain, pollute