One who labors hard and lives meanly; a mean fellow.
"The long scrub left her hands raw from the harsh soap."
An instance of scrubbing.
In plain English: A scrub is an unattractive person who dresses poorly and acts badly, often used as an insult to describe someone with no style or class.
"The old man scrubbed his back with a rough bar of soap after working in the garden all day."
Usage: Avoid using "scrub" as a noun to refer to a person in modern English, as this archaic meaning is now obsolete and may sound offensive or confusing. Instead, use the verb form when describing the act of cleaning with friction or reserve it for specific contexts like gardening where it refers to scrub trees.
To rub hard; to wash with rubbing; usually, to rub with a wet brush, or with something coarse or rough, for the purpose of cleaning or brightening
"She used an old toothbrush to scrub the stubborn grime off the kitchen tiles."
In plain English: To scrub means to clean something thoroughly by rubbing it hard with soap and water.
"He scrubbed his hands with soap to remove all the dirt before dinner."
(of domestic animals) not selectively bred
"The farm owner decided to let his horses run wild instead of scrubbing them for a more uniform appearance, allowing their natural variations to remain."
Mean; dirty; contemptible; scrubby.
"The old hovel stood in a scrub of weeds and dirt, looking utterly mean to anyone passing by."
In plain English: Scrub describes something that is very dirty and covered with grime.
"The scrub suit was covered in dirt from working outside all day."
The word scrub entered Late Middle English as a variant of "shrub," originally meaning a stunted tree. It may have been influenced by Old Norse during its development.