hump

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Dutch homp (“hump, lump”) or Middle Low German hump (“heap, hill, stump”), from Old Saxon *hump (“hill, heap, thick piece”), from Proto-Germanic *humpaz (“hip, height”), from Proto-Indo-European *kumb-, *kumbʰ- (“curved”).

Pronunciation

• (Canada, UK) IPA^(key): /hʌmp/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌmp

Camels have humps on their backs.

Noun

hump (plural humps)

1. A mound of earth.
2. (Discuss⁽⁺⁾ this sense) A deformity in humans caused by abnormal curvature of the upper spine.
3. (Discuss⁽⁺⁾ this sense) (animals) A rounded fleshy mass, such as on a camel or zebu.
4. (slang) An act of sexual intercourse.
5. (Britain, slang, with definite article) A bad mood.

   get the hump, have the hump, take the hump, give someone the hump

6. (slang) A painfully boorish person.

   That guy is such a hump!

7. A speed hump.

Verb

hump (third-person singular simple present humps, present participle humping, simple past and past participle humped)

1. (transitive) To bend something into a hump.
   • Theodore Roosevelt

     The cattle were very uncomfortable, standing humped up in the bushes.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To carry (something), especially with some exertion.
3. (transitive, intransitive) To dry-hump.

   Stop humping the table, you sicko.

4. (transitive, intransitive) To have sex (with).

Anagrams

• umph

Etymology

Possibly related to Low German humpel, compare with English hump.

Noun

hump m (definite singular humpen, indefinite plural humper, definite plural humpene)

1. a bump or hump (e.g. in a road)

References

• “hump” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Etymology

Possibly related to Low German humpel, compare with English hump.

Noun

hump m (definite singular humpen, indefinite plural humpar, definite plural humpane)

1. a bump or hump (e.g. in a road)

References

• “hump” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.