bumpkin

¹

[ buhmp-kin ]

noun

, Informal.

1. an awkward, simple, unsophisticated person from a rural area; yokel.

   Synonyms: yahoo, hick, rube, hayseed, hillbilly, boor, clod

bumpkin

²

[ buhmp-kin ]

noun

, Nautical.

1. a beam or spar projecting outward from the hull of a vessel, for extending a sail, securing blocks, etc.

bumpkin

¹

/ ˈbʌmpkɪn /

noun

1. variant spellings of boomkin

bumpkin

²

/ ˈbʌmpkɪn /

noun

1. an awkward simple rustic person (esp in the phrase country bumpkin )

Other Words From

• bumpkin·ish bumpkin·ly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bumpkin¹

1560–70; < Middle Dutch bommekijn “little barrel,” equivalent to boom beam + -kijn -kin

Origin of bumpkin²

First recorded in 1625–35; from Middle Dutch boomken, equivalent to boom “tree, pole, beam” + -ken, diminutive suffix; boom ², beam, -kin

Word History and Origins

Origin of bumpkin¹

C16 (perhaps originally applied to Dutchmen): perhaps from Dutch boomken small tree, or from Middle Dutch boomekijn small barrel, alluding to a short or squat person

Example Sentences

“Shanghai was the place to be. It had the best restaurants, the best nightclubs, the coolest people. I felt like such a country bumpkin, but I learned fast.”

From BBC

When their car breaks down in a rural Oregon town, they meet a seen-it-before who’s who of horror movie yokeldom: unsmiling boys, sweaty bumpkin mechanics, a diner waitress whose eyes scream “run, if you know what’s good.”

From New York Times

According to Taylor in his autobiography, “Private Domain,” Mr. Wagoner took on the persona “of being a bumpkin in the Big City for all it’s worth.”

From New York Times

“People may call me an ignorant bumpkin,” he once said.

From New York Times

So a school that I had never visited, Harvard, took an enormous risk and accepted me, and I became a token country bumpkin to round out a class of polished overachievers.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• country bumpkin
• rube