mumpsimus

1 9.9

An old wrong idea someone keeps believing even after others show it is wrong

noun
/ˈmʌmpsɪməs/

Archaic

: mumpsimus

Her refusal to change her views, despite convincing arguments, showed how deeply rooted her mumpsimus was.

Examples

Many people still believe in the mumpsimus of traditional medicine, even when scientific evidence suggests otherwise.
Despite the new research, he insisted on following the mumpsimus of using outdated practices in the classroom.
A person who is obstinate or zealous about such strict correctness (opposed to mumpsimus).

Blog text (3)
Adherence to or persistence in using a strictly correct term, holding to a precise practice, etc., as a rejection of an erroneous but more common form (opposed to mumpsimus).

Blog text (3)

Antonyms

progress

∞ 2.5

Forward change toward a goal or better state

innovation

317 3.9

Bringing in new ideas or ways of doing things

modernity

17 5.8

A condition of life now that shows new ideas, styles, or technology

Surface Forms

mumpsimus singular

mumpsimuses plural

Etymology

The word mumpsimus comes from a famous story: a priest misread the Latin word sumpsimus (meaning 'we have taken') as mumpsimus, and when people corrected him he refused to change his wrong reading. So a mumpsimus today is an old or wrong belief or custom that someone stubbornly keeps even after it is shown to be wrong.