I came across this word in the dictionary and just started giggling. “Spume”? That can’t possibly be a word, can it? It sounds silly. But I like it. At any rate, it has a more pleasurable definition than “sputum”, which is the word directly across from it in the next column over in my Canadian Oxford English Dictionary (now go look that word up if you don’t know what it means ;)).
Spume
Noun: foam or froth on or from a liquid.
Intransitive verb: froth, foam.
See also spumy (adjective); spumier, spumiest.
Spume comes from the Old French espume or the Latin spuma.
The next time I buy hot chocolate at a cafe, I’m going to ask the barista to make mine “extra spumy please!”.
Oh yes, I’m TOTALLY pumped about using this one at work. I think some customers might get creeped out if I asked how much spume they want, though.
Oh PLEASE do! I would love to hear the kind of reaction you get. AND you’ll be introducing people to a new word! Hurray!