scrub2

 
Pronunciation: /skrʌb/

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] vegetation consisting mainly of brushwood or stunted forest growth: a desert plain dotted with scrub
  • (also scrubs) land covered with scrub vegetation: the wind tore across scrub and heathland [as plural noun]: his courageous explorations in the scrubs
  • 2 [as modifier] denoting a shrubby or small form of a plant: scrub apple trees
  • North American denoting an animal of inferior breed or physique: a scrub bull
  • 3 informal an insignificant or contemptible person: you are a mean scrub
  • North American a sports team or player not among the best or most skilled: a former All-Star reduced to the role of scrub
  • short for scrubber (sense 2).
  • 4 [mass noun] North American an informal team game played by children in a public area: hardly anyone ever plays scrub these days [as modifier]: we were playing scrub baseball

Derivatives

scrubby

adjective (scrubbier, scrubbiest)

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'stunted tree'): variant of shrub1