scour

Pronunciation: /ˈskaʊə/

The English word “scour” has 12 meanings listed here.

verb

To clean, polish, or wash (something) by rubbing and scrubbing it vigorously, frequently with an abrasive or cleaning agent.
To remove debris and dirt (from something) by purging; to sweep along or off by a current of water.
To clear the digestive tract (of an animal) by administering medication that induces defecation or vomiting; to purge.
To (cause livestock to) suffer from diarrhoea or dysentery.
To cleanse (something) without rubbing.
To search an area thoroughly.
To run with speed; to scurry.
To move swiftly over; to brush along.

noun

The removal of sediment caused by swiftly moving water.
A place scoured out by running water, as in the bed of a stream below a waterfall.
A place where wool is washed to remove grease and impurities prior to processing.
Diarrhoea, in livestock; scouring.

Etymology

From Middle English scǒuren (“to polish, scour; to clean; to beat, whip”), from Middle Dutch scuren, schuren (“to clean; to polish”) or Middle Low German schǖren, of uncertain origin but probably from Old French escurer, from Medieval Latin scūrō, escūrō, excūrō (“to clean off”), from ex- (“thoroughly”) + cūrō (“to arrange, see to, take care of”), from cūra (“care, concern”) (from…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.