Lump

Etymology

Originally the same as Lumpen (“rag, tatter”), later distinguished in form.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /lʊmp/
Audio (Germany (Berlin)): (file)

Noun

(more standard) Lump m (weak or strong, genitive (more standard) Lumpen or (more common in general usage) Lumps, plural (more standard) Lumpen or (more common in general usage) Lumpe)

(colloquial, derogatory, chiefly Southern Germany or Austria) cad, scoundrel (mean, ignoble, or dirty male person)
- a. 1872, Friedrich Gerstäcker, Eine Mutter‎:
  »Mein lieber Herr Rebe!« Wie der Lump freundlich sein kann, wenn's ihm auf den Nägeln brennt.
  “My dear Mister Rebe!” How friendly this scoundrel can be when it is pressing.

Usage notes

Lump may be declined according to the strong or weak pattern. The former is more originally standard, the latter more common in general usage.

Declension

Declension of Lump [masculine, weak // strong]

More information singular, plural ...

	singular	plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Lump¹	die	Lumpen¹, Lumpe²
genitive	eines	des	Lumpen¹, Lumps²	der	Lumpen¹, Lumpe²
dative	einem	dem	Lumpen¹, Lump²	den	Lumpen¹
accusative	einen	den	Lumpen¹, Lump²	die	Lumpen¹, Lumpe²

¹More standard.
²More common in general usage.

Derived terms

Haderlump

Related terms

Lumpenglocke
Lumpenjournalismus
Lumpenpazifismus
Lumpenpack
Lumpenproletariat
Lumpen

Descendants

→ Czech: lump
→ Polish: lump

German