English
mumpsimus
Mumpsimus comes from Latin sumpsimus, from sūmō ‘to take’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁em-1‘to take’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*emō1‘to take’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsūmō2‘to take’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsumpsimus2form of sūmō
- Englishtodaymumpsimus2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin sumo, which cites Buck
- 2 Wiktionary, English mumpsimus
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁em-Wiktionary, Latin sumo, which cites Buck‘to take’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*emōWiktionary, Latin sumo, which cites Buck‘to take’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsūmōWiktionary, English mumpsimus‘to take’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsumpsimusWiktionary, English mumpsimusform of sūmō
- EnglishtodaymumpsimusWiktionary, English mumpsimus
The story
Malapropism of Latin sumpsimus, form of sūmō (‘to take’), from a story of an old monk who misrecited the Eucharist with quod in ōre mumpsimus instead of quod in ōre sumpsimus “which we have taken into the mouth”, and stubbornly continued using the incorrect form even after being corrected. Attested 1530 in The Practice of Prelates by William Tyndale, variously attributed to Richard Pace (1517) or Desiderius Erasmus.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- ‘to take’
exempt, pommel, pomade, 53 more
through Proto-Italic *emō ‘to take’
premium, ransom, redemption, redeem, exemption, presume, preemption, emptor, 44 more
through Latin sūmō ‘to take’
consumer, assume, resume, assumption, consume, sumptuous, consumable, overconsumption, 32 more
Today it means
noun A person who obstinately adheres to old ways in spite of clear evidence that they are wrong; an ignorant and bigoted opponent of reform.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “mumpsimus”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin sumo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- / mumpsimus