scrub
UK: skrʌb | US: skrʌb
v. to clean or rub something hard to remove dirt
v. to cancel or abandon something
n. an area of low trees or bushes
n. a person of low status (slang)
The word "scrub" originated in the late 14th century from Middle Dutch schrobben ("to clean by rubbing") and Middle Low German schrubben. The reduplicative "-ub" mimics the sound or motion of vigorous rubbing. Over time, it expanded semantically: the verb sense of "cleaning by friction" (16th c.) led to the noun for "stunted vegetation" (16th c., from the idea of "rubbed-down" trees), and later to slang for "insignificant person" (19th c.). The modern sense of "canceling" (e.g., a mission) emerged in 20th-century aviation jargon.
She scrubbed the floor until it shone.
The launch was scrubbed due to bad weather.
The hikers pushed through dense scrub.
(Slang) He dismissed them as a bunch of scrubs.
Use a brush to scrub off the stubborn stains.