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clumse

English

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clumse

  • /ˈklʌms/

Rhymes with -ʌms

Where it comes from

From Middle English clumsen, clomsen, cloumsen, from Old Norse *klumsa (compare Old Norse klumsa (“lock-jawed”)), whence also dialectal Norwegian klumsa (“to make speechless or benumbed”), dialectal Swedish klumsen (“numb with cold”). Compare related Low German verklamen, Dutch kleumen, verkleumen, German verklomen.

verb clumses · clumsing · clumsed · clumpse · clumps

  1. transitive To numb; benumb; stiffen or paralyse with cold or fear
  2. intransitive To be numb or benumbed; be stiffened or paralysed with cold or fear
  3. Scotland, dialectal To die of thirst

adjective more clumse · most clumse · clumpse · clumps

  1. benumbed, as with cold
  2. idle; lazy; loutish

noun clumses · clumpse · clumps

  1. A stupid fellow; numbskull

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Cite this
MLA

"clumse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/clumse. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

clumse. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/clumse

Chicago

"clumse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/clumse.

BibTeX
@misc{clumse_2026,
  title = {clumse},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/clumse},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}