crumb

[kruhm] /krʌm/
noun
1.
a small particle of bread, cake, etc., that has broken off.
2.
a small particle or portion of anything; fragment; bit.
3.
the soft inner portion of a bread (distinguished from crust).
4.
crumbs, a cake topping made of sugar, flour, butter, and spice, usually crumbled on top of the raw batter and baked with the cake.
5.
Slang. a contemptibly objectionable or worthless person.
verb (used with object)
6.
Cookery. to dress or prepare with crumbs.
7.
to break into crumbs or small fragments.
8.
to remove crumbs from:
The waiter crumbed the table.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English crome, crume, Old English cruma; akin to Dutch kruim, German Krume crumb, Latin grūmus heap of earth
Related forms
crumbable, adjective
crumber, noun
decrumb, verb (used with object)
Synonyms
2. scrap, shred, morsel, sliver, speck.
Examples from the web for crumb
  • Knead the ground beef together with salt, and then add the bread crumb mix.
  • One crumb of comfort for euro-zone firms is that the currency has plunged against the dollar.
  • There is perhaps one other crumb of comfort for the president.
  • The honey interacts with the yeast, and both give the crumb a tenderness it lacks using the basic recipe.
  • It is specializing in recycling tire crumb into a high quality product that can be used to manufacture new tires.
  • At my clean-swept hearth he had no mirth, and at my table he broke no crumb.
  • Remove chicken from buttermilk and dredge in the crumb mixture.
  • Of course several of the crumb snatchers who took them went for a piece of candy too.
  • The fennel's subtle sweetness and beautiful form are quite sophisticated, but the cake's buttermilk crumb is pure homey delight.
  • crumb made the various monthly payments required under the various court orders.
British Dictionary definitions for crumb

crumb

/krʌm/
noun
1.
a small fragment of bread, cake, or other baked foods
2.
a small piece or bit: crumbs of information
3.
the soft inner part of bread
4.
(slang) a contemptible person
verb
5.
(transitive) to prepare or cover (food) with breadcrumbs
6.
to break into small fragments
adjective
7.
(esp of pie crusts) made with a mixture of biscuit crumbs, sugar, etc
Derived Forms
crumber, noun
Word Origin
Old English cruma; related to Middle Dutch krome, Middle High German krūme, Latin grūmus heap of earth
Word Origin and History for crumb
n.

Old English cruma "crumb, fragment," from a West Germanic root of obscure origin (cf. Middle Dutch crume, Dutch kruim, German krume). The -b- appeared mid-15c., in part by analogy with words like dumb, in part from crumble. Slang meaning "lousy person" is 1918, from crumb, U.S. slang for "body-louse" (1863), so called from resemblance.

Slang definitions & phrases for crumb

crumb

noun
  1. A louse or bedbug (1863+)
  2. A blanket roll or pack; bindle (1910+ Hoboes)
  3. A dirty, slovenly person; crud, dirtball (1918+)
  4. A loathsome, contemptible person; creep (1918+)

[fr the resemblance of a louse to a crumb]


crumb in Technology

data, jargon
(Or tayste /tayst/) Silly suggested term for two binary digits.
The term "quarter" has also been suggested, referring to the US 25-cent coin. This was once equal in value to two of the eight "bits" - pie-slice-shaped "pieces of eight" - into which Spanish silver crowns were cut to make change.
[Jargon File]
(2007-05-31)