hump

hump
n. & v.
—n.
1 a rounded protuberance on the back of a camel etc., or as an abnormality on a person's back.
2 a rounded raised mass of earth etc.
3 a mound over which railway vehicles are pushed so as to run by gravity to the required place in a marshalling yard.
4 a critical point in an undertaking, ordeal, etc.
5 (prec. by the) Brit. sl. a fit of depression or vexation (it gives me the hump).
—v.tr.
1 a (often foll. by about) colloq. lift or carry (heavy objects etc.) with difficulty. b esp. Austral. hoist up, shoulder (one's pack etc.).
2 make hump-shaped.
3 annoy, depress.
4 coarse sl. have sexual intercourse with.
Usage:
In sense 4 usually considered a taboo word.
Phrases and idioms:
hump bridge = humpback bridge. live on one's hump colloq. be self-sufficient. over the hump over the worst; well begun.
Derivatives:
humped adj. humpless adj.
Etymology: 17th c.: perh. rel. to LG humpel hump, LG humpe, Du. homp lump, hunk (of bread)

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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  • hump — ► NOUN 1) a rounded protuberance found on the back of a camel or other animal or as an abnormality on a person s back. 2) a rounded raised mass of earth or land. ► VERB 1) informal lift or carry with difficulty. 2) make hump shaped. 3) vulgar… …   English terms dictionary

  • Hump — Hump, v. t. 1. To form into a hump; to make hump shaped; to hunch; often with up. The cattle were very uncomfortable, standing humped up in the bushes. T. Roosvelt. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. To put or carry on the (humped) back; to shoulder; hence …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • hump|y — hump|y1 «HUHM pee», adjective, hump|i|er, hump|i|est. 1. full of humps. 2. like a hump. hump|y2 «HUHM pee», noun, plural …   Useful english dictionary

  • Hump — ist die Bezeichnung für einen bekannten Häuptling der Miniconjou Lakota Indianer, siehe Hump (Häuptling) eine Schauplatz des Zweiten Weltkrieges im Himalaya, siehe The Hump eine Wortschöpfung des österreichischen Politikers Hilmar Kabas, siehe… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • hump — hump·less; hump; hump·ty; hump·ty dump·ty; …   English syllables

  • Hump — (h[u^]mp), n. [Cf. D. homp a lump, LG. hump heap, hill, stump, possibly akin to E. heap. Cf. {Hunch}.] 1. A protuberance; especially, the protuberance formed by a crooked back. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) A fleshy protuberance on the back of an… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hump — may refer to:* HUMP! (film festival), an annual presentation of amateur pornography * The Hump, a name given by WWII Allied pilots to part of the Himalayan mountains * Kyphosis, the curve on an upper spine that causes a hunchback * dry humping,… …   Wikipedia

  • hump — [hump] n. [< or akin to LowG humpe, thick piece < IE * kumb (< base * keu , to bend, curve) > HIP1, Sans kumba , thick end (of a bone), Gr kymbē, a bowl] 1. a rounded, protruding lump, as the fleshy mass on the back of a camel: see… …   English World dictionary

  • hump — [n] swelling, projection bulge, bump, convexedness, convexity, dune, elevation, eminence, excrescence, gibbosity, hill, hummock, hunch, knap, knob, knurl, kyphosis, mound, prominence, protrusion, protuberance, ridge, swell, tumescence; concepts… …   New thesaurus

  • hump — [[t]hʌ̱mp[/t]] humps, humping, humped 1) N COUNT A hump is a small hill or raised area. The path goes over a large hump by a tree before running near a road. Syn: mound 2) N COUNT A camel s hump is the large lump on its back. Camels rebuild fat… …   English dictionary

  • hump — humper, n. humpless, adj. /hump/, n. 1. a rounded protuberance, esp. a fleshy protuberance on the back, as that due to abnormal curvature of the spine in humans, or that normally present in certain animals, as the camel or bison. 2. Physical Geog …   Universalium

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