Mugwump
/ˈmʌɡ.wʌmp/noun
A person who remains independent or neutral, especially in politics.
Did you know?The word entered English through 19th-century political slang, but its exact source language is uncertain, so the “mysterious” feel is real even if the occult vibe is not.
Etymological Timeline
Uncertain Indigenous source
Native American
mugquomp / mugquomp?
“Likely an Indigenous word recorded imperfectly by English speakers; exact form and meaning are uncertain”
1830s–1840s
English
mugwump
“A self-important or important person; later, a person who stays independent”
1884
English
Mugwump
“A political independent who left the Republican Party in the U.S. presidential election”
Modern English
English
mugwump
“An independent-minded person, especially in politics”