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stump

/stʌmp/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about stump at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. The base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled.
  2. The part of a limb or tooth that remains after the rest is removed.
  3. (cricket) any of three upright wooden posts that form the wicket.

verb

  1. Cause to be perplexed or confounded.
    This problem stumped her
  2. Walk heavily.
    The men stomped through the snow in their heavy boots
  3. Travel through a district and make political speeches.
    the candidate stumped the Northeast

Origin

From Middle English stumpe, stompe (“stump”), from or akin to Middle Low German stump (“stump”) or Middle Dutch stomp, from Old Saxon or Old Dutch *stump, from Proto-West Germanic *stump, from Proto-Germanic *stumpaz (“stump, blunt, part cut off”). Displaced native Old English stofn. Cognate with Middle Dutch stomp (“stump”), Old High German stumph (“stump”) (German Stumpf), Old Norse stumpr (“stump”). More at stop.

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