pomp

See also: Pomp

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French pompe, from Latin pompa (“pomp”), from Ancient Greek πομπή (pompḗ, “a sending, a solemn procession, pomp”), from πέμπω (pémpō, “I send”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɒmp/
• IPA^(key): /ˈpɑːmp/
• Rhymes: -ɒmp

• Audio (UK male):

  (file)

Noun

pomp (countable and uncountable, plural pomps)

1. Show of magnificence; parade; display; power.
   • 1698, Pierre Nicole, “A person of quality”, in Moral Essayes, Contain'd in Several Treatises on Many Important Duties., volume I, page 95:

     'Tis a gross visible errour, which Tertullian teaches in his Book of Idolatry cap. 18. That all the marks of Dignity and Power, and all the ornaments annexed to Office, are forbid Christians, and that Jesus Christ hath plac'd all these things amongst the pomps of the Devil, since he himself appeared in a condition so far from all pomp and splendour.

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: The Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:

     The deafening claps of thunder and the dazzling flashes of lightning which lit up the ghastly scene testified that the artillery of heaven had lent its supernatural pomp to the already gruesome spectacle.

   • 2019 November 6, “1901 tramcar joins Manchester Victoria celebrations”, in Rail, page 25:

     In its pomp Victoria had 17 platforms, but many of the through platforms were demolished in the early 1990s to make way for the Manchester Arena.

2. A procession distinguished by ostentation and splendor; a pageant.
   • 1713, Joseph Addison, The Guardian:

     […] a more beautiful expression of joy and thanksgiving than could have been exhibited by all the pomps of a Roman triumph.

Related terms

• pompous
• pomposity
• hypnopompic

Derived terms

• pomp and circumstance

Translations

show of magnificence

• Catalan: pompa (ca) f
• Dutch: praal (nl) c
• Finnish: mahtipontisuus (fi), prameus (fi), prameilu (fi)
• Galician: pompa f, fachenda (gl) f, saimento m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Pomp (de) m
• Romanian: pompă (ro) f
• Spanish: boato (es), pompa f
• Telugu: ఆడంబరము (te) (āḍambaramu)

Verb

pomp (third-person singular simple present pomps, present participle pomping, simple past and past participle pomped)

1. (obsolete) To make a pompous display; to conduct.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “pomp”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

Further reading

• “pomp”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “pomp”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “pomp”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “pomp”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

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Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch pomp, from Middle Dutch pompe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔmp/

Noun

pomp (plural pompe, diminutive pompie)

1. pump (device for moving liquid or gas)

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Danish

Etymology

From German Pomp.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔmp/, [pʰʌmˀb̥]

Noun

pomp c (singular definite pompen, not used in plural form)

1. pomp (show of magnificence)

Synonyms

• pragt

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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch pompe. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔmp/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pomp
• Rhymes: -ɔmp

Noun

pomp f (plural pompen, diminutive pompje n)

1. pump (device for moving liquid or gas)

Derived terms

• benzinepomp
• bierpomp
• fietspomp
• maagpomp
• pompen
• scheepspomp
• stadspomp
• voetpomp
• waterpomp

Descendants

• Afrikaans: pomp
• → Indonesian: pompa
• → Japanese: ポンプ
• → Sranan Tongo: pompu
  • → Aukan: pompu

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Icelandic

Etymology

Probably a loan word from the Danish pomp, from the French pompe, from the Latin pompa (“display, parade, procession”), from Ancient Greek πομπή (pompḗ, “a sending”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pʰɔm̥p/
• Rhymes: -ɔm̥p

Noun

pomp n (genitive singular pomps)

1. ceremony, pomp

Declension

declension of pomp

n-s	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	pomp	pompið
accusative	pomp	pompið
dative	pompi	pompinu
genitive	pomps	pompsins

Synonyms

• (ceremony, pomp): viðhöfn, skraut

Derived terms

• pomp og prakt