foamn.
/fəʊm/, U.S. /foʊm/ 1. figurative and in extended use.a1350 Sayings St. Bernard (Harl. 2253) in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 512 Mon is mad of feble fom.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 26993 Quat es mans lijf bot fam.1858 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia II. vi. iii. 31 The foam of mankind..the idle moneyed populations from all countries.1866 B. Taylor Test in Poems 414 The meadows tossed their foam of flowers.figurative.1555 E. Bonner Profitable & Necessarye Doctryne sig. N iiij b Baptysme..doeth..so weaken..ye fome, or rage of concupiscence in vs..that [etc.].1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. 872/1 King Henrie..is reported..to cast out his fome against Luther.1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. xix. §11 Our Churches, in the foame of that good spirit which directeth such fierie tongues, they terme spitefully the temples of Baal.† c. foam of lead = litharge n. foam of nitre = aphronitre n. foam of oil = lee n.2 foam of copperas = colcothar n. Obsolete.
a. The aggregation of minute bubbles formed in water or other liquids by agitation, fermentation, effervescence, ebullition, etc.Being the proper word for the product of the agitation of the waves, foam is more dignified than the synonymous froth, and usually implies more copious production.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > gas > gas or air in liquid or effervescence > [noun] > foam or froth
foama700
scuma1250
frothc1384
spume1390
rial1440
escume1527
suds1592
balderdash1596
yeasta1616
cremor1657
cream1669
a700 Epinal Gloss. 426 Famfaluca: leasung vel faam.
1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 261 She nome Both of the water and of the fome.
a1440 Sir Degrev. 546 Whyegh as the seys ffame.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid i. viii. 76 The bittir blastis..Throw..salt fame, and wilsum wayis..can ws drive.
1611 Bible (King James) Hosea x. 7 Her King is cut off as the fome vpon the water. View more context for this quotation
1652 J. French York-shire Spaw iv. 50 That water is best for outward uses which will bear sope best, and make the greatest fome therewith.
1721 W. Gibson Farriers Dispensatory i. ii. 31 Eggs..when beat into a Foam with Alum.
1786 R. Burns Poems 23 Guid, auld Scotch Drink! Whether..thou..team owre the brink, In glorious faem.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) iv. 64 The foam of the sea becomes opaque white, by the light being scattered from the particles of water into which a wave is broken.
b. spec. The foaming saliva issuing from the mouth, e.g. in epilepsy, rabies, etc. Also, the froth of perspiration which gathers on the coat of a horse or other animal from intense exertion.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > furious anger > [noun]
foamc900
wrethec950
woodnessc1000
eyec1175
wrathc1175
grim13..
ragingc1300
ragec1325
furyc1374
fiercetya1382
fiercenessc1384
wrotha1400
grindellaikc1400
rasedheadc1450
furor1477
windc1485
furiousnessc1500
enrage1502
furiosity1509
passion1524
ourningc1540
enragement1596
enragedness1611
transportation1617
emportment1663
madness1663
foaming1709
infuriation1848
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > discharge or flux > [noun] > foaming at mouth
foamc900
frothc1400
foaming1574
sialorrhœa1846
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > substance or secretion and excretion > [noun] > perspiration
foam1612
lather1660
c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) iii. ix. [xi.] 184 Þa faam of his muðe ut eode.
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 231/409 Brenninde fom out of is mouth..he caste.
c1320 Seuyn Sag. (W.) 913 Thourgh the mouht the fom was wight.
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Luke ix. 39 A spirit takith hym, and sudenli he..hurtlith doun, and to drawith hym with fome.
1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion xii. 202 Two Boares..with their gnashing teeth their angry foame doe bite.
1735 W. Somervile Chace iv. 312 The pois'nous Foam Through the deep wound instil'd.
1875 W. S. Hayward Love against World 237 Her horse was covered with foam.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > extracted or refined oil > [noun] > residue of
oil-dregs?1440
motherc1485
foam of oil1538
foot1687
the world > the earth > minerals > types of mineral > oxides and hydroxides > [noun] > general formula AO > litharge
litharge1322
litharge of goldc1400
litharge of silverc1400
spumec1400
foam of lead1538
silver-foam1565
plumbago1617
silver-glet1668
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > polishing > [noun] > polish > types of
pumice1422
emery1481
foam of copperas1538
pumex1589
emery-stone1610
smiris1610
putty1663
rottenstone1677
tutty1731
French rouge?1745
rotstone1767
plate powder1786
emery-powder18..
rouge1808
waxing1825
black lead1830
tin-putty1839
red stuff1844
stove-polish1858
crocusa1861
crocus-powder1873
furniture cream1873
grit-emery1884
silver polish1895
Ronuk1896
Brasso1905
floor polish1907
lavender cream1926
lavender polish1961
lavender wax1970
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > other metallic materials > [noun] > litharge
litharge1322
litharge of goldc1400
litharge of silverc1400
spumec1400
spume of argenta1533
foam of lead1538
silver-foam1565
plumbago1617
silver-glet1668
the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > metals > specific elements > sulphur > [noun] > compounds > miscellaneous others
foam of nitre1538
hepar1796
oxysulphion1840
sulphocyanogen1841
sulphuryl1867
sulphion1868
sulphur alcohol1876
thio-ether1889
trisulphone1892
sulphydryl1901
sulphane1955
the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > metals > specific elements > oxygen > [noun] > compounds > oxides > peroxides
foam of copperas1538
colcothar1605
peroxide1804
oxynitric gas1805
superoxide1807
oxynitric acid1810
hyperoxide1855
oxylithe1902
hydrogen peroxide1907
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Amurca, the mother or fome of all oyles.
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Molybditis, the spume or fome of leade.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 421 The fome of nitre..is commended as the best of all.
1623 H. Cockeram Eng. Dict. ii The Foame that riseth from Lead tryed, litargie.
1631 D. Widdowes tr. W. A. Scribonius Nat. Philos. (new ed.) 24 Red vitrioll, or the fome of Copperasse.
d. A mass or layer of foam used in fire-fighting, produced by adding a foaming agent to a flow of water or by other means; also, a foaming agent so used. Also attributive, as foam carpet, foam extinguisher, foam generator.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > coldness > extinguishing fire > [noun] > fire-fighting > a substance or apparatus for extinguishing > foam
foam1907
air foam1937
light water1964
1907 A. G. Laurent Brit. Patent 18,357/1906 1 The invention has for its object a hand fire extinguishing apparatus..that..sprays foam instead of liquid.
1933 Meccano Mag. Feb. 99/3 A fire engine in use at Dagenham carries practically all the equipment likely to be required by a fire brigade. This includes a chemical ‘foam’ generator.
1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Foam extinguisher, a fire extinguisher discharging a frothy substance which covers and extinguishes by excluding air from the burning surface.
1957 Encycl. Brit. IX. 271/1 Foam is also used in the fire service in the form of a dry powder which employs a foam generator to mix the powder with water being discharged by the fire pump.
1960 Daily Tel. 12 Aug. 18/4 ‘Foam carpet’ for runway... A device for carpeting a runway with foam has been developed by the Engineering Flight at the R.A.F. Station, Waddington, Lincs.
1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. (rev. ed.) V. 279/1 On oil fires water is effective only as a foam, or in some cases as a fog.
1970 Oxf. Mail 3 Aug. 1/7 The pilot was reported to have turned down the RAF offer, which would have given him a foam cushion to land on.
1970 Oxf. Mail 3 Aug. 1/7 The cost of laying an anti-fire foam carpet on the runway.
e. Rubber or plastic in the form of a cellular mass similar to foam in structure. Usually attributive, as foam mattress, foam plastic, foam rubber, foam sheet.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > rubber > [noun] > in specific form
rubber sheet1842
rubber band1849
cut sheet1900
sheet1900
crêpe rubber1907
smoked sheet1909
twist1909
air foam1937
foam1937
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > synthetic resins and plastics > [noun] > plastic > plastic in form of cellular mass
foam1937
1937 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 41 1090 Some foam plastics are mentioned for the isolation against noise and the protection against cold.
1945 Life 1 Oct. 129/1 Foam rubber..will soon be used to soften millions of U.S. beds and chairs.
1948 Daily Mail 30 Aug. 3/6 The chief new outlet in the rubber industry is in ‘foam’ rubber.
1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 108/2 Latex foam padding.
1959 B.S.I. News Apr. 4/2 To work economically, this method of heating requires really efficient thermal insulation, and this is to be provided by extensive use of plastics foam sheets.
1959 Economist 6 June 940/2 Protected by space suits and foam mattresses.
1961 B.S.I. News Aug. 19/2 The B.S.I. recently drew the attention of the Board of Trade to a flock-filled pillow which was described as being made of ‘foam’.
1962 Which? July 198/1 The fifth type (of life-jacket)..used non-absorbent foam plastic to provide buoyancy.
1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. (rev. ed.) X. 494 a/2 The rigid foams are employed as the core in structural laminates, such as in airplane wings.
1971 Brit. Med. Bull. 27 75/2 Alternative materials for insulation, such as..foam plastics and cork.
2. Foaming water, the sea; (in early use occasionally plural) also salt foam, sea foam, water foam. archaic (poetic).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > sea or ocean > [noun]
sea-floodc893
brimc937
streamc950
foamOE
mereOE
seaOE
sea of (the) oceanc1300
brookc1400
float1477
strand1513
breec1540
burnc1540
broth1558
Thetisie1600
fishpond1604
brine1605
pond1612
Thetisc1620
brack1627
herring-pond1686
tide1791
black water1816
lave1825
briny1831
salt water1839
blue1861
swan's bath1865
puddle1869
ditch1922
oggin1945
OE Riddle 2 4 Gifen biþ gewreged, fam gewealcen.
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 476/508 Huy gonne to seili swiþe in þat salte fom.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 14409 Moyses..ladde hem þourȝe þe see fome.
c1440 Bone Flor. 137 Over fomes they flett withowtyn fayle.
c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 31 I sat doune to see the flouyng of the fame.
a1609 J. Dennys Secrets of Angling (1613) i. sig. B5v Long ere Phœbus set in Westerne fome.
Categories »
3. Mineralogy. = aphrite n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > gas > gas or air in liquid or effervescence > [noun] > foaming or frothing
foaming1382
foam1574
seething1593
spumification1615
frothing1628
mantling1695
creaming1888
1574 J. Baret Aluearie F 823 The fome, or sprinckling vp of new wine in ale, we call it working.
Compounds
C1. General combinations:
a. Simple attributive.
foam bath n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > bathing > a bath > foam bath
bubble bath1938
foam bath1938
1938 L. MacNeice I crossed Minch ii. xvi. 232 She says that you're using astringents and taking foam baths.
1969 A. Laski Dominant Fifth v. 181 She wanted..to go home, take off her shoes, soak in a foam bath.
foam-bell n.
ΚΠ
1813 J. Hogg Queen's Wake Concl. 321 Light as the..foam-bells floating on the brine.
foam-flake n.
ΚΠ
1832 Ld. Tennyson Dream Fair Women xvi, in Poems (new ed.) 126 Crisp foamflakes scud along the level sand.
foam-fleck n.
ΚΠ
1895 M. Pemberton Impregnable City iv. 23 The foam-flecks breaking upon the face.
foam-fleece n.
ΚΠ
1876 G. M. Hopkins Wreck of Deutschland xvi, in Poems (1967) 56 The cobbled foam-fleece.
1928 E. Blunden Retreat 56 Where befouled the foam-fleece stays.
foam-flower n. poetic (see also foam flower n. at Compounds 2).
ΚΠ
1866 A. C. Swinburne Poems & Ballads 61 And the sea moving saw before it move One moon-flower making all the foam-flowers fair.
1878 A. C. Swinburne Poems & Ballads 2nd Ser. 29 Look forth from the flowers to the sea; For the foam-flowers endure when the rose-blossoms wither.
1951 W. de la Mare Winged Chariot 31 The foam-flowers of sea-wilderness.
foam-froth n.
ΚΠ
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis i. 4 In foame froth picturs, wyth Troian treasur, ar vpborne.
foam-globe n.
ΚΠ
1813 W. Scott Rokeby ii. vii. 64 Foam-globes on her eddies ride.
foam-wake n.
ΚΠ
1876 W. Morris Story of Sigurd iii. 210 They see..a foam-wake as the wet oars toss on high.
foam-whirl n.
foam-wreath n.
ΚΠ
1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna i. xvii. 9 The foam-wreathes which the faint tide wove.
b. Objective.
foam curber n.
ΚΠ
1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 32 A Lapantalike hoast of vnfatigable flud bickerers and foame-curbers.
c. Instrumental and originative.† foam-bespawled adj. Obsolete
foam-backed adj.
ΚΠ
1963 Punch 10 Apr. p. xiv Men's wear..includes foam-backed car coats.
foam-beat adj.
ΚΠ
1777 T. Warton Ode in Poems viii. vi Banks..Fenc'd by the foam-beat pier.
foam-bedappled adj.
ΚΠ
1633 J. Fisher Fuimus Troes iv. i. sig. Gii Hyperions Sonne Shall couch in West his fome-bedappled iades.
ΚΠ
1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion ii. 33 Old Proteus hath been knowne..to spunge his foame-bespawled beard.
foam-born adj. (also quasi-n.)
ΚΠ
1862 E. Arnold in Fraser's Mag. July 114 The ‘Foam-Born's’ beauty.
1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 85 Still reigned the foam-born Aphrodite.
foam-crested adj.
ΚΠ
a1795 R. Burns Lament 5 Ye foam-crested billows, allow me to wail.
foam-filled adj.
ΚΠ
1959 Sunday Times 21 June 19/4 A chair that folds into a neat parcel... Foam-filled cushion and back.
foam-flecked adj.
ΚΠ
1842 A. T. de Vere Song of Faith 253 Foam-flecked waves.
foam-flowered adj.
ΚΠ
1876 A. C. Swinburne Erechtheus (ed. 2) 448 The foam-flowered sea.
foam-girt adj.
ΚΠ
1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna xi. x. 242 On a foam-girt crag.
foam-lit adj.
ΚΠ
1793 W. Wordsworth Descr. Sketches 249 They cross the chasmy torrent's foam-lit bed.
foam-painted adj.
ΚΠ
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares f. 30v Her Alablaster walls were all furred & fome-painted.
foam-upholstered adj.
ΚΠ
1961 Housewife Apr. 67/1 Chairs have foam-upholstered seats.
foam-white adj.
ΚΠ
1841 in S. C. Hall & A. M. Hall Ireland (1843) III. 175 O'er the foam-white waves.
foam-wrought adj.
ΚΠ
1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna vi. iv. 130 Like foam-wrought waterfalls.
foam-like adj. and adv.
ΚΠ
1871 F. T. Palgrave Lyrical Poems 117 Pennons toss'd foam-like o'er the fray.
1876 T. Hardy Hand of Ethelberta I. iv. 54 Ladies in their foam-like dresses.
foam-cold adj.
ΚΠ
1929 E. Blunden Near & Far 39 This foam-cold vale.
foam-pale adj.
ΚΠ
1895 W. B. Yeats Poems 41 From the foam-pale distance.
C2. Special combinations.
foamback n. (also foam-back) (see quot. 1963).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > treated or processed in specific way > [noun] > other
wet cloth1435
balk1841
kamptulicon1844
rougher1876
batch1911
Beaverette1922
tie-dye1926
permanent press1944
foamback1961
1961 Drapery & Fashion Weekly 2 Mar. 1 Foambacks will change the trade's whole way of life.
1963 A. J. Hall Student's Handbk. Textile Sci. iii. 157 Foam-back fabrics. A new development in the manufacture of fabric is to apply to the back of a woven or knitted fabric a very thin layer of synthetic foam sheeting... The presence of the foam layer confers great warmth and induces the garment to retain its shape better during wear.
foam-bow n. a bow, similar to a rainbow, formed by sunlight upon foam or spray.
ΚΠ
1832 Ld. Tennyson Œnone in Poems (new ed.) 54 The foambow brightens When the wind blows the foam.
foam-cock n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. I. 897/1 Foam-cock (Steam-engine), a cock at the water-level to blow off scum.
foam-dock n. ? soapwort ( Saponaria officinalis).
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Caryophyllaceae (chickweeds and allies) > [noun] > soapwort
boritha1382
crowsoapa1400
saponera1400
foam-dockc1500
fuller's grass1526
saponary1526
scour-wort1548
soapwort1548
mock gillyflower1578
soapwort gentian1578
struthion1587
soap-weed1607
gill-run-by-the-street1640
candify1727
saponaria1865
bouncing-Bet1884
c1500 Gloss. Harl. 3388 in Sax. Leechd. III. 327/1 Fome dok.
foam flower n. a member of the genus Tiarella, esp. T. cordifolia, a small perennial herb native to North America; = false mitrewort at mitrewort n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > saxifrage and allies > [noun]
sengreenc1000
wayworta1300
saxifragec1440
stonebreak1548
grass of Parnassus1578
mountain pennywort1578
white liverwort1597
breakstone1688
Parnassia1727
mitella1731
lady's cushion1739
tiarella1759
American bastard sanicle1760
sanicle1760
mitrewort1771
queen's cushion1825
bishop's-cap1839
astilbe1843
coolwort1848
mitrewort1848
rodgersia1874
chrysosplene1877
rockfoil1879
old man's beard1882
foam flower1895
Indian rhubarb1897
mossy1938
piggyback plant1946
heucherella1949
1895 W. Robinson Eng. Flower Garden (ed. 4) ii. 788/1 Some real treasures, for no apparent reason, are overlooked. Such has been the fate of the lovely little Foam Flower, a hardy plant of rapid increase.
1908 Suburban Country Life July 20/2 The foam flower, the clintonia, [etc.]..make a carpet in a certain bit of woods.
1962 Amateur Gardening 27 Jan. 4 Tiarella cordifolia and the taller T. Wherryi are good weed suppressors..their feathery appearance has earned them the name Foam Flower.
foam glass n. (see quot. 1962).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > glass and glass-like materials > [noun] > glass > other glass materials
glass silka1884
foam glass1948
1948 Archit. Rev. 104 268 Insulation for walls, floors and ceilings is 6 in. cork, and for the roof it is foam glass and composition.
1962 Gloss. Terms Glass Ind. (B.S.I.) 33 Foam glass, a rigid multi~cellular insulating block fabricated from glass of high durability and comprising a homogeneous mass of closed cells.
foam-omelet n. Cookery a dish so called from its frothy appearance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > other prepared foods or dishes > [noun]
mawmenny1381
browet Saracen?c1390
corat?c1390
lete lardes?c1390
lete lory?c1390
burseuc1400
lorey14..
Jack of Doverc1405
bukenadea1425
nesebeka1425
mosy?c1425
blaundsore1430
fauntemperec1430
irchinc1430
white sorréc1430
entraila1450
pasteladea1450
prenadec1450
fignadea1475
frianc1500
profiterole?1521
slampamp1593
flap-dragon1604
eel-cake1653
Lombard1657
hedgehog1723
bird's nest1769
dope18..
negro-pota1818
jug jug1877
King Henry's shoestrings1887
foam-omelet1892
crème1901
farofa1922
chilaquiles1938
metagee1957
Kiev1967
pani puri1969
1892–4 T. F. Garrett & W. A. Rawson Encycl. Pract. Cookery II. 21/1 Foam Omelet.
foam-sauce n. see foam-omelet n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > food by way of preparation > [noun] > whipped dish
whip1756
zephyr1862
foam-sauce1892
1892–4 T. F. Garrett & W. A. Rawson Encycl. Pract. Cookery II. 400/1 Foam Sauce.
foam-spar n.
foam-stone n. see aphrite n. and aphrodite n.2
Derivatives
foamed adj. made or existing in this form.
ΚΠ
1943 Air News 15 July 8/4 (caption) New uses for foamed rubber.
1955 Americana Ann. 125/2 Addition of water to the resin during processing causes elimination of carbon dioxide with the production of a foamed plastic.
1959 Observer 27 Sept. 4/3 ‘Expanded neoprene’ (a kind of foamed rubber).
Draft additions September 2016
foam blank n. Surfing a large block of (typically polyurethane) foam from which a surfboard is formed.
ΚΠ
1964 J. Severson Mod. Surfing around World xv. 142 What comes out of the mold is a foam ‘blank’..; the fiber glass and resin are then applied.
1989 G. Noll & A. Gabbard Da Bull 98 Every board shaper started using foam blanks and the balsa board faded into oblivion.
2006 New Yorker 21 Aug. 38/2 Foam blanks..need stringers—strips of wood down their center, for strength.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1897; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
foamv.
/fəʊm/, U.S. /foʊm/ 1. figurative.1817 I. D'Israeli Curiosities of Lit. 1st Ser. III. 303 A tedious invective, foaming at the mouth of its text with quotations and authorities.1866 A. C. Swinburne Sel. from Byron Pref. p. xv He [Byron]..foams at things and creatures not worth a glance.
a. intransitive. To emit foam; esp. to froth at the mouth; also with out. Often as a hyperbolical description of vehement rage or wrath. Also of a horse, etc.: To be covered with foam (of perspiration). Cf. foam n. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > gas > gas or air in liquid or effervescence > effervesce [verb (intransitive)] > foam or froth
foamc950
spumec1400
creamc1440
ream1440
fry1590
mantle1595
froth1603
sud1603
freathe1786
sponge1790
yeast1880
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > discharge or flux > discharge [verb (intransitive)] > foam at mouth
foamc950
scumc1380
frothc1384
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > substance or secretion and excretion > [verb (intransitive)] > be covered with perspiration
foam1430
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > body or parts of horse > [verb (intransitive)] > sweat
foam1430
lather1884
the mind > emotion > anger > furious anger > to rage (of fury) [verb (intransitive)] > be or become furious
wedec1000
resea1250
ragea1400
rampc1405
rase1440
outragea1475
stampc1480
enragec1515
ournc1540
gry1594
fury1628
rampage1692
to stamp one's foot1821
to fire off1848
foam1852
fire1859
to stomp one's feetc1927
to spit chips1947
to spit cotton1947
to spit blood1963
to go ballistic1981
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark ix. 18 Spumat, fæmeð.
a1225 Juliana 68 As an burst bar, þat grunde his tuskes ant feng on to femin.
a1350 Life Jesus 223 Bete and bite it wolde..And grenny with is teth and feme.
1430 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy ii. xii Mine hors..Fomyng full whyte vpon euery syde.
c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 99 Þe man..fomyd out at his mowth.
a1529 J. Skelton Tunnyng of Elynour Rummyng in Certayne Bks. (?1545) 341 Her mouth fomyd.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) i. ii. 252 He [sc. Caesar]..foam'd at mouth, and was speechlesse. View more context for this quotation
1735 W. Somervile Chace iii. 113 He snorts, he foams.
1807 Salmagundi 31 Dec. 385 I expected every moment to see them fall down in convulsions [and] foam at the mouth.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xl. 273 Legree, foaming with rage, smote his victim to the ground.
b. Const. †of, †on, with (blood).
ΚΠ
c1425 Seven Sag. (P.) 959 Hys mouthe famed of blode.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 7261 The fas in the fell hast femyt on blode.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie F 821 He fometh with bloud at the mouth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > gas > gas or air in liquid or effervescence > effervesce [verb (intransitive)] > foam or froth > come forth in foam
foam1398
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) vii. xxx. 244 The blood fomith wyth cough and traueyle and ache.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1572 Þe froþe femed at his mouth vnfayre.
3.
a. Of water or other liquid: To froth, gather foam. Also, to run foaming along, down, over, etc. Also figurative. to foam off, foam itself away: to pass away in foam.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > be or become invisible [verb (intransitive)] > vanish or disappear
formeltc893
wendOE
witea1000
aworthc1000
fleec1200
fleetc1200
withdraw1297
vanish1303
voidc1374
unkithea1400
startc1405
disappearc1425
disparishc1425
to fall awayc1443
evanish?a1475
vade1495
sinka1500
vade1530
fly1535
fadea1538
melt?1567
dispear1600
relinquish1601
foist1603
dispersea1616
to vanish (melt, etc.) into thin aira1616
dissipate1626
retire1647
evaporate1713
merge1802
illude1820
to foam off1826
dislimn1833
furl1844
to step out1844
evanesce1855
shade1880
wisp1883
to go to the winds1884
walk1898
to do a disappearing act1913
to go west1916
to do (or take) a fade1949
to phase out1970
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > invisibility > be or become invisible [verb (reflexive)] > vanish or disappear
lose1785
foam itself away1852
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) xiii. xxv. 456 For lightnesse of ayre that is closid water fomyth.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 169/2 Fomyn, spumo.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Isa. lvii. C The raginge see..whose water fometh with the myre.
1576 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 386 In wynter the water fomyth over.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) ii. vi. 21 My Nauie. At whose burthen, The anger'd Ocean fomes . View more context for this quotation
1728 E. Young Odes to King in Wks. (1757) I. 173 The torrent roar'd, and foam'd along.
1819 W. Irving Rip Van Winkle in Sketch Bk. i. 78 He found the gully..but to his astonishment a mountain stream was now foaming down it.
1826 W. Scott Woodstock I. x. 240 Enthusiasm is a stream that may foam off in its own time.
1852 Ld. Tennyson Ode Wellington 126 Their surging charges foam'd themselves away.
b. Of a steam-boiler: To become filled with foam (Webster 1864).
4.
a. intransitive. Of a drinking vessel: To be filled with foaming liquor.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > presence > fact of taking up space > take up space [verb (intransitive)] > be or become full > be filled with specific things
foam1822
1822 P. B. Shelley Hellas 46 The cup is foaming with a nation's blood.
b. transitive. To fill or brim with foaming liquor.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > providing or serving drink > [verb (transitive)] > pour liquor into or fill with liquor > fill with foaming drink
foam1726
1726 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey IV. xv. 341 Few can with me..contend..To..foam the goblet with a purple stream.
1855 M. Arnold Mycerinus 97 Flush'd guests, and golden goblets foam'd with wine.
5. transitive. To send forth or emit in or like foam; to pour out with rage and violence. Chiefly figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming out > letting or sending out > let or send out [verb (transitive)] > emit > in or like foam
foam1388
despumate1733
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming out > letting or sending out > let or send out [verb (transitive)] > emit > with rage and violence
foama1535
1388 Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) Jude 13 These ben..wawis of the woode see, fomynge [1382 frothinge] out her confusiouns.
a1535 T. More Wks. (1557) 579/1 Tindall..fometh oute hys hyghe spirituall sentence in thys fashion.
1601 J. Weever Mirror of Martyrs sig. Eviijv Two fyrie coursers foming clottred blood.
1785 W. Cowper Task vi. 898 They roam the earth..foaming out their own disgrace.
1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in Enoch Arden, etc. 69 Leolin..foam'd away his heart at Averill's ear.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > cover [verb (transitive)] > with or as with specific other things
clodc1420
pavea1425
foamc1540
overstain1559
thatch1589
sinew1592
to ice over1602
curd1654
overfleece1717
fleece1730
stucco1774
oversmoke1855
bepaper1861
beboulder1862
overflower1876
sack1880
overglass1883
to board over1885
pad1885
lather1917
cobweb1928
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 10219 With þaire fawchons fell, femyt of blode.
1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie lx. 5 The head spider (with wheat tuskes fomde like a bore).
7. To draw (a chariot) along with the accompaniment of foam.Apparently an isolated use.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by drawing along > draw along or haul [verb (transitive)] > of a horse > with accompaniment of foam
foam1820
1820 J. Keats Hyperion: a Fragm. ii, in Lamia & Other Poems 180 Have ye beheld the young God of the Seas..Have ye beheld his chariot, foam'd along By noble winged creatures he hath made?
Derivatives
ˈfoamer n. one who foams.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > discharge or flux > [noun] > foaming at mouth > person
foamer1607
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 745 Epithites which are attributed vnto them [sc. wolves:]..blood-sucker, fomer.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1897; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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