Rumple
/ˈrʌm.pəl/noun
To make something wrinkled, creased, or untidy.
Did you know?Rumple is linked to a Germanic root meaning rough or uneven, which also gave English words like “rumbustious” and “rumble,” both carrying that heavy, disruptive energy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hrump- / *rump-
“to make rough, crumple, or press into wrinkles”
Old English
OE
rumpelian
“to wrinkle, crumple, or make rough”
Middle English
ME
rumplen
“to wrinkle, crumple, or make untidy”
16th Century
English
rumple
“to crumple or wrinkle”
Modern English
English
rumple
“to make or become wrinkled, creased, or disordered”
Explore more surprising origins