chum n : a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities [syn: buddy, brother, crony, pal, sidekick] [also: chumming, chummed]

English

Pronunciation

• /tʃʌm/
• Rhymes with: -ʌm

Etymology 1

Possibly from chamber fellow or chamber mate

Noun

1. A friend; a pal.

   I ran into an old chum from school the other day.

2. A roommate.
   • 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.

Verb

1. 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.

2. 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."

3. To accompany.

   I'll chum you down to the shops.

Etymology 2

etymology unknown

Noun

1. In the context of "fishing": A mixture of (frequently rancid) fish parts and blood, dumped into the water to attract predator fish, such as sharks.

Verb

1. In the context of "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.

French

Noun

fr-noun m

1. A boyfriend (feminine blonde).
2. A friend, usually male; a chum (feminine chum or chum de fille).

Synonyms

• sense boyfriend petit ami, ami de cœur, fiancé qualifier dated, conjoint
• sense friend copain, ami

Irish

Pronunciation

• lang=ga|[xuːmˠ]|[xʊmˠ]

Verb form

1. Form of past indicative analytic, cum

Usage notes

ga analytic past

Related terms

• chumas
• chumais
• chumamar
• chumabhar
• chumadar

Chum or CHUM may refer to:

• Chum salmon, a kind of salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), native to the northern Pacific and adjacent waterways
• Chum (tent), a nomadic tent, of the Yamal-Nenets reindeer herders in Western Siberia
• Bait for sharks
• CHUM Limited, a defunct media company, former owner of Citytv, A-Channel, MuchMusic, and radio stations
• 1050 CHUM (AM), a Toronto radio station
• 104.5 CHUM-FM, a Toronto radio station
• Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, a university hospital network in Montreal

ace, amigo, associate, associate with, assort with, bedfellow, bedmate, bosom buddy, buddy, bunkie, bunkmate, butty, camarade, chamberfellow, chum together, chum with, classmate, clique, clique with, club together, colleague, comate, companion, company, compeer, comrade, confidante, confrere, consociate, consort, consort with, copartner, crony, familiar, fellow, fellow student, fellowship, flock together, fraternize, friend, girl friend, go with, gossip, hang around with, hang out with, herd together, hobnob with, join, join in fellowship, keep company with, mate, messmate, mingle with, mix with, old crony, pal, pal up with, pal with, pard, pardner, partner, playfellow, playmate, roommate, run in couples, run with, running mate, schoolfellow, schoolmate, shipmate, side partner, sidekick, sort with, take up with, team up with, teammate, tie up with, workfellow, yokefellow, yokemate