mumpsimus

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mumpsimus

/ˈmʌmpsɪməs/ US

Where it comes from

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.

noun mumpsimuses

A person who obstinately adheres to old ways in spite of clear evidence that they are wrong; an ignorant and bigoted opponent of reform.
An obvious error that is obstinately repeated despite correction.

Opposite: sumpsimus

Thesaurus

noun

Opposite: sumpsimus

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Cite this

MLA

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

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX

@misc{mumpsimus_2026,
  title = {mumpsimus},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mumpsimus},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}