scud
scud Lexical Profile
scud Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To move fast in a straight line because or as if driven by the wind (especially of clouds, boats, or animals).
"Dark storm clouds began to scud across the evening sky ahead of the cold front."
To run before a gale with little or no sail set (of a sailing vessel).
"With the tempest rising, the schooner was forced to scud under bare poles toward the lee shore."
• noun
Loose, ragged clouds, mist, or sea spray driven swiftly by the wind during stormy weather.
"The lighthouse beam was intermittently obscured by low scud blowing in from the North Atlantic."
The act of moving or running swiftly and smoothly, especially as if driven by the wind.
"With a sudden scud across the field, the startled hare vanished into the hedgerow."
Any of various small freshwater or marine amphipod crustaceans of the order Amphipoda, which swim rapidly on their sides and serve as an important food source for fish.
"Anglers often tie artificial flies that imitate freshwater scuds to attract feeding trout."
• Rhymes for scud
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the 16th century, probably a variant of 'scut' (a rabbit's tail or to run away like a hare) or of Scandinavian origin akin to Old Norse 'skjota', meaning to shoot or dart.