....goodness LB....I had no idea of the contestations that apply to such a simple word.......
But at least we are stll on track...in the nautical sence.....
A short spar projecting from the deck of a ship
....Derek
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bump·kin 1 (bmpkn, bm-)
n.
An awkward,
unsophisticated person; a yokel.
[Perhaps from Flemish boomken, shrub, diminutive of boom, tree; see bheu- in Indo-European roots or from Middle Dutch bommekijn, diminutive of bomme, barrel.]
Word History: The term bumpkin may at one time have been directed at an entire people rather than that segment of the population living in a rural area. The first recorded appearance of the word in 1570 is glossed by the Latin word Batavus, "Dutchman," making plausible the suggestion that bumpkin may come from either the Middle Dutch word bommekijn, "little barrel," or the Flemish word boomken, "shrub." The connection would be between a squat object and the short rotund figure of the Dutchman in the popular imagination. Any bumpkin would surely prefer this etymology to the suggestion that bumpkin is
a derivative of bum, "the rear end." bump·kin 2 (bmpkn, bm-)
n.
A short spar projecting from the deck of a ship, used to extend a sail or secure a block or stay.
[Probably from Dutch boomken, diminutive of boom, tree; see boom2.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
bumpkin (ˈbʌmpkɪn)
n
1. an awkward simple rustic person (esp in the phrase country bumpkin)
[C16 (perhaps originally applied to Dutchmen): perhaps from Dutch boomken small tree, or from Middle Dutch boomekijn small barrel, alluding to a short or squat person]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003
bump•kin (ˈbʌmp kɪn)
n.
an awkward, simple rustic; yokel.
[1560–70; < Middle Dutch bommekijn little barrel =boom beam + -kijn -kin]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
