Pump
/pʌmp/noun
A device that moves liquid or gas by pressure or suction.
Did you know?The word likely began as an imitative sound-word for a thumping or pumping motion, and its later use for a water-lifting device shows how English turns bodily motion into machinery.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
pumpe
“a pump or water-lifting device”
Middle English
English
pompe/pompen
“to beat, strike, or throb (imitative, noisy motion word)”
Early Modern English
English
pump
“a device for forcing liquid or air through a tube”
17th Century
English
pump
“to draw out or expel by means of a pump; later, to question persistently”
Modern English
English
pump
“a mechanical device for moving fluids or gases”