*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of bum

Attested since the 1300s, as Middle English bom (found in John Trevisa's 1387 Translation of the 'Polychronicon' of Ranulph Higden, "his bom is oute"), of uncertain origin. Sometimes suggested to be a shortening of botme

6 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 6 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
intj

An expression of annoyance.

noun

The buttocks. · The anus. · An act of anal sex.

verb

To sodomize; to engage in anal sex.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Attested since the 1300s, as Middle English bom (found in John Trevisa's 1387 Translation of the 'Polychronicon' of Ranulph Higden, "his bom is oute"), of uncertain origin. Sometimes suggested to be a shortening of botme, botom, bottum (“bottom”), but this is contradicted by the fact that bottom is not attested in reference to the buttocks until the late 1700s. Suggested by some old and modern references to be onomatopoeic. Compare also Old Irish, Scottish Gaelic bun (“base, bottom”). The anal sex senses (noun and verb), as well as the adjective (esp. the first) sense, are expletive-avoiding (i.e. Bowdlerized) shortenings of bumfuck.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionbomenm
  • Cognate mentionbungd
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    ],
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      "Bowdlerized",
      "bowdlerization"
    ],
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      "bumfuck"
    ]
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Source etymology 2 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A homeless person, usually a man. · A lazy, incompetent, or annoying person, usually a man. · A player or racer who often performs poorly. · A drinking spree.

adj

Of poor quality or highly undesirable. · Unfair. · Injured and without the possibility of full repair, defective. · Unpleasant or unhappy.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

1864, back-formation from bummer, from German Bummler (“loafer”), from bummeln (“to loaf”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 2 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
verb

[with off or (nonstandard) off of] To ask someone to give one (something) for free; to beg for something. · To stay idle and unproductive, like a hobo or vagabond. · To wet the end of a marijuana cigarette (spliff).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

1864, back-formation from bummer, from German Bummler (“loafer”), from bummeln (“to loaf”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To depress; to make unhappy.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Back-formation from bum out.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
verb

To make a murmuring or humming sound.

noun

A humming noise.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

See boom.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
noun

A bumbailiff.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Abbreviation.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

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Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YnVt