bump

bump
\ \ [16] The earliest recorded sense of bump is ‘swelling, lump’, but the evidence suggests that the primary meaning is ‘knock’, and that this led on to ‘swelling’ as the result of being hit. It is not clear where the word came from, although it may be of Scandinavian origin; no doubt ultimately it imitates the sound of somebody being hit. The verbal sense ‘swell’, now obsolete, is probably responsible for bumper, which originally meant ‘full glass or cup’, and in the 19th century was extended to anything large or abundant (as in ‘bumper crop’).

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Bump — or Bumps may refer to:*Bump (Internet), raising a thread s profile by returning it to the top of the list of active threads *Bump (union), in an unionised work environment, a re assignment of jobs on the basis of seniority *Bump (football), a… …   Wikipedia

  • bump — bump; bump·i·ly; bump·i·ness; bump·kin·ly; bump·ol·o·gist; bump·ol·o·gy; bump·om·e·ter; bump·tious; but·ter·bump; bump·er; bump·e·ty; bump·kin; bump·tious·ly; bump·tious·ness; …   English syllables

  • Bump — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda «Bump» Sencillo de Raven Symoné del álbum This Is My Time Publicación 2005 Formato Descarga digital …   Wikipedia Español

  • Bump — Bump, n. [From {Bump} to strike, to thump.] 1. A thump; a heavy blow. [1913 Webster] 2. A swelling or prominence, resulting from a bump or blow; a protuberance. [1913 Webster] It had upon its brow A bump as big as a young cockerel s stone. Shak.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bump.y — Pays d’origine  Japon Genre musical J Pop Années d activité Depuis 2009 Labels So …   Wikipédia en Français

  • bump´i|ly — bump|y «BUHM pee», adjective, bump|i|er, bump|i|est. 1. having bumps; full of bumps: »a bumpy road. 2. causing bumps; rough: » …   Useful english dictionary

  • bump|y — «BUHM pee», adjective, bump|i|er, bump|i|est. 1. having bumps; full of bumps: »a bumpy road. 2. causing bumps; rough: » …   Useful english dictionary

  • bump — ► NOUN 1) a light blow or a jolting collision. 2) a protuberance on a level surface. ► VERB 1) knock or run into with a jolt. 2) move with much jolting. 3) (bump into) meet by chance. 4) …   English terms dictionary

  • bump — [bump] vt. [echoic] 1. to hit or knock against with a jolt; collide lightly with ☆ 2. Slang to displace, as from a job or plane reservation ☆ 3. Slang to raise (a price, a bet in poker, etc.) vi. 1. to collide with a jolt 2. to move with jerks or …   English World dictionary

  • Bump — (b[u^]mp; 215), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bumped} (b[u^]mpt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Bumping}.] [Cf. W. pwmp round mass, pwmpiaw to thump, bang, and E. bum, v. i., boom to roar.] To strike, as with or against anything large or solid; to thump; as, to bump… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bump — 1610s, verb and noun, perhaps from Scandinavian, probably echoic, original sense was hitting then of swelling from being hit. Also has a long association with obsolete bum to make a booming noise, which perhaps influenced surviving senses like… …   Etymology dictionary

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