English
tumblebugtumblebug
From tumble + bug.
A compound of tumble + bug
Proto-Germanic *tūmōną ‘to rotate’
Proto-West Germanic *tumbōn
Old English tumbian ‘to tumble’
Middle English tumben ‘to fall, leap, dance’
Middle English tumblen ‘to fall over and over again, tumble’
English tumble
Middle English bugge ‘scarecrow, hobgoblin’
English bug
Today it means
noun A dung beetle.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “tumblebug”. 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 / tumblebug
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