To rub hard with something rough, as sand or Bristol brick, especially for the purpose of cleaning; to clean by friction; to make clean or bright; to cleanse from grease, dirt, etc
a place that is scoured (especially by running water) rub hard or scrub; "scour the counter tops" examine minutely; "The police scoured the country for the fugitive
If you scour something such as a place or a book, you make a thorough search of it to try to find what you are looking for. Rescue crews had scoured an area of 30 square miles We scoured the telephone directory for clues. = search
Erosion that occurs along the banks of the stream channel is called bank scour and is caused by frequent high water events that erodes bank vegetation away leaving exposed soil
removal of sand or earth from the bottom or banks of a river by the erosive action of flowing water Erosion of a concrete surface, exposing the aggregate The action of a flowing liquid as it lifts and carries away the material on the sides or bottom of a waterway, conduit, or pipeline The enlargement of a flow section of a waterway through the action of the fluid in motion carrying away the material composing the boundary
The clearing and digging action of flowing air or water, especially the downward erosion caused by stream water in sweeping away mud and silt from the outside bank of a curved channel or during a flood
If you scour something such as a sink, floor, or pan, you clean its surface by rubbing it hard with something rough. He decided to scour the sink. = scrub
The erosive action of running water in streams, which excavates and carries away material from the bed and banks Scour may occur in both earth and solid rock material
[ 'skau(-&)r ] (verb.) 13th century. Middle English, probably from Middle Dutch schuren, from Old French escurer, from Late Latin excurare to clean off, from Latin, to take good care of, from ex- + curare to care for, from cura care.