I. ˈfōm noun
Etymology: Middle English fome, from Old English fām; akin to Old High German feim foam, Latin spuma foam, pumex pumice
Date: before 12th century
1. : a light frothy mass of fine bubbles formed in or on the surface of a liquid or from a liquid: as
a. : a frothy mass formed in salivating or sweating
b. : a stabilized froth produced chemically or mechanically and used especially in fighting oil fires
c. : a material in a lightweight cellular form resulting from introduction of gas bubbles during manufacture
2. : sea
3. : something resembling foam
• foam·less -ləs adjective
II. verb
Date: before 12th century
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to produce or form foam
b. : to froth at the mouth especially in anger ; broadly : to be angry
2. : to gush out in foam
3. : to become covered with or as if with foam
streets… foam ing with life — Thomas Wolfe
transitive verb
1. : to cause to foam ; specifically : to cause air bubbles to form in
2. : to convert (as a plastic) into a foam
• foam·able ˈfō-mə-bəl adjective
• foam·er fō-mər noun