scrim

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /skɹɪm/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪm

Etymology 1

Attested since the end of the 18th century. Origin unknown.

In one of the earliest mentions, "The Statistical Account of Scotland", 1793, by John Sinclair, page 593, we read in a paragraph devoted to weavers: "Besides these, they are now much employed in working a thin kind of coarse linen called Silesias, vulgarly Scrims, whereof each piece is 27 or 30 inches broad".

Noun

scrim (countable and uncountable, plural scrims)

1. A kind of light cotton or linen fabric, often woven in openwork patterns, used for curtains, etc,.
2. A large military scarf, usually camouflage coloured and used for concealment when not used as a scarf.
3. A woven, nonwoven or knitted fabric composed of continuous strands of material used for reinforcing or strengthening membranes.
4. (theater) A theater drop that appears opaque when a scene in front is lighted and transparent or translucent when a scene in back is lighted.
   • 2007 January 22, Steve Smith, “In Austin, Echoes of a Distant War in an Opera’s American Premiere”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Mummified mannequins dangling above the set, illuminated from within, were a heavy-handed touch, but the designer George Tsypin’s translucent scrims and painted drops beautifully conveyed the passage of sun-blasted days and bone-chilling nights on the edge of civilization.

5. (photography) A sheet of gauze etc. used to reduce the intensity of light.
6. Thin canvas glued on the inside of panels to prevent shrinking, checking, etc.

Translations

light cotton or linen fabric

• German: Gaze (de) f

military scarf

fabric

• Bulgarian: мрежа (bg) f (mreža)

theater drop

• Bulgarian: завеса (bg) f (zavesa)

References

• “scrim”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Verb

scrim (third-person singular simple present scrims, present participle scrimming, simple past and past participle scrimmed)

1. (photography) To use a scrim.

Etymology 2

From scrimmage.

Noun

scrim (plural scrims)

1. (online gaming) A practice match between one or more organized teams usually in preparation for a more competitive format, such as a tournament.
   • 2016, Blog of Legends, "The Gap hasn’t closed: Comparing the LCS and LCK at Worlds":

     As a team, the players decided to focus less on streaming (a major source of income) and more on in-house scrims, VOD review and practice, hoping to become a better team.

Verb

scrim (third-person singular simple present scrims, present participle scrimming, simple past and past participle scrimmed)

1. (online gaming) To participate in a scrim.
   • 2016, The Inquirer, The EE Blog: EternalEnvy Accuses Former Team, Team Secret, of Delayed Payments and Monetary Indiscretion‎^[2]:

     Accusations of him drinking instead of scrimming with the team, not attending practices at all and playing guitar instead of scrimming surfaced.

Anagrams

• CMIRs, Crims, crims