...ump words

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David Myer
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...ump words

Postby David Myer » Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:05 am

Is there a connection (apart from the spelling!) between all those ...ump words with vaguely similar meanings? Off the top of my head:
Lump
Hump
Rump
Jump
Sump
Bump
Dump
Mump(s)
Plump
Slump
Stump
Clump
even perhaps, Grump, Frump, thump...

All seemingly to do with convex or concave protuberances. Can you have a concave protuberance? But you know what I mean!
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MTC
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stumped

Postby MTC » Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:20 am

From Answers.com, what follows is a list of words ending with the suffix "ump."
Words end with ump:
* bethump
* bump
* callithump
* chump
* clump
* crump
* dump
* flump
* frump
* gazump
* grump
* hump
* jump
* lump
* metump
* mugwump
* mump
* nontrump
* outjump
* outtrump
* overpump
* overtrump
* plump
* pump
* repump
* rump
* schlump
* shlump
* slump
* stump
* sump
* thump
* trump
* tump
* whump

There is a longer list of 48 words at http://wordfamous.com/ends-with-by-length/ump/

But, this list does not answer your question about what, if anything, they all have in common. Enter Dr. Goodword stage right?
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LukeJavan8
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Postby LukeJavan8 » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:27 pm

My favorite is "mugwump".
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David Myer
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Postby David Myer » Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:35 pm

Yes a nice word - a person who remains aloof or independent.

Difficult to see the lump/bump hump in that though.
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David Myer
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Postby David Myer » Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:21 pm

Wikipedia tells me that the origin of Mugwump was native American. So no connection with lump, bump, rump...
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Slava
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Postby Slava » Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:44 pm

Wikipedia tells me that the origin of Mugwump was native American. So no connection with lump, bump, rump...
Unless you go with the idea of a fence-sitter, someone with their mug on one side and their wump on the other.
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Dr. Goodword
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UMPs

Postby Dr. Goodword » Thu Apr 14, 2011 6:59 am

In fact, all are coincidences so far as I can see without looking anything up. That initial consonant is crucial. For some reason, vowels are far likelier to change than consonants. Tracing the vowels in modern languages back to their Proto-Indo-European ancestors is far more difficult than tracing the consonants. (The fact that the word likelier caught your eye is evidence that the old Germanic comparative is fading fast, being replaced by the French form seen in more likely.)
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misterdoe
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Postby misterdoe » Sun May 22, 2011 9:10 am

David: Interesting question. I had always wondered about another combo, -ash, as in: bash, clash, crash, gash, lash, slash. All suggesting either violence or collision.

Good Doc: Youre saying these similariies in boh sound and meaning are mostly coincidence? :?
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