pond scum
2
5.4
- noun
:
espuma de estanque
- During the summer, pond scum often forms on the pond, providing food for various aquatic animals.
Examples
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The pond scum coated the surface of the stagnant water, making it appear green and murky.
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As you can see, only pond scum was left.
Blog text (18) -
Let's look at pond scum.
Blog text (3) -
Imagine that the same amount of pond scum exists all over the surface of our entire planet, and give it 300 million years.
Blog text (3) -
Even pond scum or duckweed.
Blog text (3) -
We can use pond scum for biofuel and other native plants; we do not want anything like this growing here in the US.
Blog text (26) -
From the bottom of the pool to the sun above, the water gradually lightened from a dismal gray-brown to a pea-soup green from the pond scum that flourished under the tropical heat.
Fiction book (1995) -
After the rain, we noticed a thick layer of pond scum floating on the surface of the still water.
Synonyms
24
4.2
A dirty layer that floats on the surface of water
A group of green algae that often forms slimy green masses in ponds and streams
A group of green algae that form mats in freshwater ponds
A group of green algae that live in freshwater, like desmids and pond scum
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is transparently composed from 'pond' (a small still body of water) and 'scum' (a thin floating film of dirt or algae); together they straightforwardly denote the layer of algae on a pond. This noun-noun composition follows normal English compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically obvious, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The noun pond scum paints a simple picture: a slimy green film that sits on top of a still pond, where scum means a dirty layer. That's why it means 'a layer of free-floating green algae on the surface of the water'.