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1675–85; of uncertain origin, possibly from cham, shortening of chambermate, or from comrade. Less likely from Welshcymrawd(“fellow”), compare brawd(“brother”).
1919, Donald Ferguson, chapter 13, in The Chums of Scranton High, or Hugh Morgan's Uphill Fight, Cleveland, New York: The World Syndicate Publishing Co., page 114:
That made Thad think of Mark Twain, and he wondered whether the illustrious Tom Sawyer and his chum, Huckleberry Finn, had ever arranged a more fetching reception committee than this one[…]
2016 July 7, Sarah Lyall, “British Politics Gives a Sense of Government by Old School Chums”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Looking at the backgrounds of the leading personalities in the Brexit drama, it is hard not to conclude that Britain has been led into crisis in large part by a bunch of old chums who spent the last year holed up in a political hall of mirrors, plotting with and scheming against one another.
(dated) A roommate, especially in a college or university.
1856 February, Paul Siogvolk, “Schediasms: My College Friend, Bosworth Field”, in The Knickerbocker: Or, New-York Monthly Magazine, volume 47, number 2, page 161:
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.
A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well.
(transitive) To lodge (somebody) with another person or people.
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.
1902, Ernest William Hornung, The Amateur Cracksman:
"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."
2021 March 18, Sarah Zhang, “A Gruesome Feeding Frenzy in the Atlantic Ocean”, in The Atlantic:
The whale’s floating body also forms a chum slick on the surface—a trail of blood, oil, and chunks of fat and flesh that might stretch for miles across the water. […] This chum slick is what attracts sharks from afar. Seabirds are drawn to it too.
2020, “The Best Methods to Go Chumming”, in Bait Binder, Coastal Baits, LLC, archived from the original on 27 September 2020:
Most of us have seen the movie “Jaws”. Sheriff Brody is complaining about being the lucky one in charge of creating a chum line out of the back of the boat. The bucket is full of an awful combination of fish parts and blood. As he ladles scoop after scoop into the ocean, clearly, it was working…
...self-supporting chum within the mould normally of corresponding and almost the same but lesser contour, whereby a space is provided between the chum and mould for the introduction of the powdered material and means for expanding the chum'.
1920, The South African Journal of Industries, volume 3, part 2, p. 820:
He uses a round slab of clay, which he places on top of the chum and commences to thump down around the sides.
1921, A Survey and Analysis of the Pottery Industry, bulletin no. 67, trade and industrial series no. 20, Washington: Federal Board for Vocational Training.
Chum,—A mold used on the whirler to hold ware for scraping and finishing.
1972, Neal French, Industrial Ceramics—Tableware, Oxford University Press:
Now that shapes were more uniform this was usually done on a horizontal lathe with the bowl automatically centred on a wooden chum This is a more useful method: it is used in making oval casseroles. The liner is made by spreading a bat and tehn forming it over a felt-covered chum, oval in shape. Chum or chuck: Lathe attachment for holding pots during turning process.
^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “чум”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress