: any of various algae (especially spirogyra) or cyanobacteria
2
: a mass of tangled filaments of algae or cyanobacteria in stagnant waters
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebIn Earth's earliest fossil record, scientists study fossilized pond scum rather than bones or shells. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 3 Mar. 2021 And core samples from the watercourts contained a layer of dark gray sediment that appears to be on par with ancient pond scum. Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2020 The summer is hot, the water warm and people hoping to enjoy a pleasant day on Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers are instead turned away — disgusted at the soupy green blooms appropriately nicknamed pond scum. Lee Bergquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2019 Algix, a Mississippi company, is now making plastics from algae — from pond scum, to be precise. Ruth Kassinger, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2019 The idea behind the venture was radical: Use synthetic biology, a promising new technology that lets scientists reengineer the genetics of living organisms, to take on the fossil-fuel industry—and do the whole thing with pond scum. David Ferry, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2015