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Added 9 October 2026

lumber

/ˈlʌm.bə/ noun

In Latin: tignum Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lumber at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Wood sawn into planks or otherwise prepared for sale or use, especially as a building material. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
Old furniture or other items that take up room, or are stored away.
Useless or cumbrous material.

verb

To move clumsily and heavily; to move slowly.
To load down with things, to fill, to encumber, to impose an unwanted burden on.
They’ve lumbered me with all these suitcases.
To heap together in disorder.

Origin

Exact origin unknown. The earliest recorded reference for the noun was to heavy, useless objects such as old, discarded furniture. Perhaps from the verb lumber in reference to meaning "awkward to move"; Online Etymological Dictionary thinks this may derive from the same root as lame. Possibly influenced by Lumbar, an obsolete variant of Lombard, the Italian immigrant class known for being pawnbrokers and money-lenders in early England. Compare English lumpish.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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