Lumbersome
/ˈlʌm.bə.səm/noun
Awkwardly heavy, clumsy, or hard to move.
Did you know?Lumbersome is a later English formation modeled on words like cumbersome, and its eerie weight comes from the old root behind lumber, which originally meant rough, bulky, or clumsy stuff.
Etymological Timeline
Old French
OF
lomber
“To move clumsily or lurch about”
Middle English
ME
lumber
“Heavy, awkward stuff; later, to move clumsily”
Middle English
ME
cumbersome
“Troublesome, burdensome, hard to manage”
Early Modern English
EN
lumbersome
“Clumsy, unwieldy, heavy in movement or effect”
Modern English
EN
lumbersome
“Awkwardly heavy, clumsy, or hard to move”
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