English Explanatory Dictionary

mump

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To mumble, speak unclearly.
  2. To move the lips with the mouth closed; to mumble, as in sulkiness.
  3. To beg, especially if using a repeated phrase.
  4. To deprive of (something) by cheating; to impose upon.
  5. To cheat; to deceive; to play the beggar.
  6. To be sullen or sulky.
  7. To nibble.
noun
  1. A grimace.
noun
  1. A cube of peat; a spade's depth of digging turf.

Pronunciation

/mʌmp/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-mump.wav

Word forms

mump mumps mumping mumped

Etymology

Perhaps borrowed through obsolete Dutch mompen (“to cheat, swindle, deceive”), according to Kroonen, a derivative of Proto-Germanic *mump- (“to stain”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *mm̥bʰ-neh₂- Also akin to German mimpfeln (“to mumble”), Icelandic mumpa (“to take into the mouth”). See also English mum. While Kroonen claims Ancient Greek μέμφομαι (mémphomai, “I blame, accuse”) and the Germanic forms are reconcilable and related, Beekes rejects this, stating that Germanic -p- cannot here correspond to Greek -φ- and that this etymological connection is not widely considered reliable.

Synonyms

bum cadge sponge beg blag leech mooch mump scrounge scunge tap wheedle

Derived words

mumper mumpery Mumping Day mumpish mumps
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