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chum - What does it mean?

Definition of 'chum'

English

Etymology 1

1675–85; of uncertain origin, possibly from (cham), shortening of (chambermate), or from comrade.

Noun

(en-noun)
  • 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 [http://books.google.com/books?vid=LCCN01002996&id=N_dFtyzEqFsC&pg=PA161&lpg=PA161&dq=chum&as_brr=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.
    Synonyms
    * See also

    Verb

    (chumm)
  • To share rooms with; to live together.
  • * 1899 Clyde Bowman Furst, A Group of Old Authors [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC00501560&id=qTQ1ql-_PGIC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=chummed&as_brr=1]
    • 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.
  • *
    • |title= Mr. Pratt's Patients|chapter=1 |passage=A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well.}}
  • To make friends with; to socialize.
  • * 1902 Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness [http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/ot2www-pubeng?specfile=/texts/english/modeng/publicsearch/modengpub.o2w&act=text&offset=171546995&textreg=1&query=chummed&id=ConDark]
    • "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 [http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/ot2www-pubeng?specfile=/texts/english/modeng/publicsearch/modengpub.o2w&act=surround&offset=362005073&tag=Hornung,+Ernest+William:+The+Amateur+Cracksman,+1902&query=chummed&id=HorAmat]
    • "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."
  • (Scotland|informal) To accompany.

    • Etymology 2

    Perhaps from (etyl).

    Noun

    (-)
  • (fishing) A mixture of (frequently rancid) fish parts and blood, dumped into the water to attract predator fish, such as sharks.

    • Verb

    (chumm)
  • (fishing) To cast chum into the water to attract fish.
  • * 1996 Frank Sargeant, The Reef Fishing Book: A Complete Anglers Guide [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0936513233&id=9ZyJLLmrRYMC&pg=PA78&lpg=PA78&dq=chummed+%2Bcut&sig=bXKQ_8aR776qpzT-2BOIjkfS1mI]
    • Small live baitfish are effective, and they will take bits of fresh cut fish when chummed strongly.

    Anagrams

    * ----

    Similar to 'chum'

    cum, cwm, cam, com, chem, comm, cham, coom, ccm