Clump
/klʌmp/noun
A compact, thick mass or group of things close together.
Did you know?English ‘clump’ is likely imitative in origin, built from a thudding sound-word, which means its rough, heavy feel may be older than its dictionary meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
clump
“A lump, bunch, or compact mass; later also a thick group of trees or objects.”
16th-17th Century
English
clump
“A heavy lump or thick mass; also a dull thud or heavy sound in some dialectal uses.”
Middle English
English
clumpen
“To strike or thump heavily; to make a heavy sound.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*klump-
“An imitative base suggesting a lumping or thudding sound or mass.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gel- / *gleb-
“No secure direct reconstruction; the word is generally treated as expressive rather than inherited from a well-established PIE root.”