clump

Meanings

Noun

• A cluster or lump; an unshaped piece or mass.
• A thick group or bunch, especially of bushes or hair.
• A dull thud.
• The compressed clay of coal strata.
• A small group of trees or plants.
• A thick addition to the sole of a shoe.

Verb

• To form clusters or lumps.
• To gather in dense groups.
• To walk with heavy footfalls.
• To strike; to beat.

Origin

• From Middle English clompe, from Old English clymppe, a variant of clympre, from Proto-Germanic *klumpô, from Proto-Indo-European *glembʰ-.
• Alternatively, possibly from Middle Dutch clompe or Middle Low German klumpe (compare German Klumpen). Cognates include Danish klump (probably from Low German as well). Compare Norwegian Bokmål klump.