Humpty Dumpty

[ huhmp-tee duhmp-tee ]

noun

1. an egg-shaped character in a Mother Goose nursery rhyme that fell off a wall and could not be put together again.
2. (sometimes lowercase) something that has been damaged severely and usually irreparably.

humpty dumpty

/ ˈhʌmptɪ ˈdʌmptɪ /

noun

1. a short fat person
2. a person or thing that once overthrown or broken cannot be restored or mended

“Humpty Dumpty”

1. A nursery rhyme:

   Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;

   Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

   All the king's horses and all the king's men

   Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Humpty Dumpty¹

Rhyming compound based on humpty; hump, -ed ³, -y ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of Humpty Dumpty¹

C18: after the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty

Example Sentences

A house on the site said to be the inspiration for the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme has been put up for sale.

From BBC

Humpty Dumpty is often depicted as an anthropomorphic egg that falls off a wall and breaks, with all the King's horses and men being unable to put him together again.

From BBC

Back in 1842, the now defunct Punch magazine alluded to Humpty Dumpty being based on Wolsey, who was once Henry VIII's chief adviser before being suspected of treason.

From BBC

So the Red and White Queens loom over Alice a little like parents hover a crib, the queens alternate between irrational and rational thoughts like children struggling to understand their world, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is like a never-ending frat party and the death of Humpty Dumpty nudges Alice to grow up.

From Seattle Times

Humpty Dumpty is an apt analogy here: It’s easier to prevent his great fall than to put him together again after he’s broken.

From Los Angeles Times