Cumbersome
/ˈkʌm.bə.səm/noun
Annoyingly heavy, awkward, or difficult to handle.
Did you know?Cumbersome comes from a chain of forms meaning “burdensome” or “hard to carry,” and its oldest roots are tied to the idea of being bent under a load rather than anything magical.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷem-
“to come, go”
Old English
OE
cuman
“to come, arrive, approach”
Old English
OE
cumbor
“a burden or load”
Middle English
ME
cumbrous
“burdensome, troublesome, hard to manage”
16th Century
English
cumbersome
“awkwardly heavy, clumsy, or difficult to handle”
Modern English
English
cumbersome
“annoyingly heavy, awkward, or difficult to handle”