clumpy

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English clump

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Proto-Germanic *-gaz

Proto-West Germanic *-g

Old English -iġ

Middle English -y

English -y

English clumpy

From clump + -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈklʌmpi/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌmpi

Adjective

clumpy (comparative clumpier, superlative clumpiest)

1. Forming or tending to form clumps.
   • 1859, Charles Dickens, The Haunted House:

     Then, I was sent to a great, cold, bare, school of big boys; where everything to eat and wear was thick and clumpy, without being enough […]

2. Resembling a clump.
3. Clompy; with heavy footfalls.
   • 1920, Eleanor H. Porter, Mary Marie:

     Certainly it's lots easier to be Mary in a brown serge and clumpy boots than it is in the soft, fluffy things Marie used to wear.

Derived terms

• clumpily
• clumpiness
• nonclumpy