Spume
/spjuːm/noun
Froth or foam, especially on the surface of the sea.
Did you know?English spume ultimately traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “foam” or “froth,” the same deep source behind several words for frothy water across ancient Indo-European languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*speu-
“to foam, spurt, or bubble up”
Latin
Latin
spūma
“foam, froth, scum”
Late Latin
Latin
spumāre
“to foam, froth”
Old French
Old French
espume
“foam, froth”
Middle English
English
spume
“foam, froth”
Modern English
English
spume
“foam or froth, especially on water”