Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “clump” come from?

Clump derives from Middle English clompe, from Old English clymppe and clympre, from Proto-Germanic klumpô, from Proto-Indo-European glemb-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gel-.

clump (English): A cluster or lump; an unshaped piece or mass; A...

Definitions

  1. A cluster or lump; an unshaped piece or mass; A...

Ancestry of “clump”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishclompeA clump or lump; a pile
2Old Englishclymppe—
3Proto-Germanicklumpôclasp; clamp; lump; mass; clump
4Proto-Indo-Europeanglemb-log, block
5Proto-Indo-Europeangel-to be cold, to freeze

Words derived from “clump”

  • clumpy
  • clumpiness
  • clumper
  • clumpish
  • interclump
  • clumplike
  • subclump
  • macroclump
  • microclump
  • clumpable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gel- →