mump
16
9.9
An old word for a person who begs for food or money
- noun
- /mʌmp/
- Archaic
:
mendigo
Examples
-
My old nurse at Tuckahoe had all kinds of roots and herbs for the mumps and the whooping cough and every sort of ache and pain.
-
The old man sat on the corner, looking like a mump as he asked passersby for spare change.
-
During winter, the streets were filled with mumps who sought food from kindly strangers.
-
After losing his job, he became a mump, relying on the generosity of others to get by.
Synonyms
beggar
vsmump
77
1.0
A person who asks others for money or food
is an old dialect term for a vagrant who asks for food or money
11
7.4
A person who asks strangers for money in public places
is an older dialect and broader term not limited to public street asking
Surface Forms
Etymology
Mump (noun, a beggar) likely comes from an old word meaning 'to mutter' or 'mumble', because people who asked for food or money often spoke quietly while begging. So a mump became the name for someone who went about asking for help.