Frumples

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Crushes or rumples cloth, paper or similar material into creases and folds
2. Makes a fabric or sheet wrinkled and disordered by pressing or squeezing it out of shape
3. Creates untidy creases in something soft, such as clothing or a piece of paper

Etymology: "Frumples" is the third-person singular form of "frumple," a verb meaning to wrinkle soft fabric, so the history belongs to the verb itself. It comes from Middle English "frumplen," which is cognate with Dutch "frommelen," meaning the same thing. The two languages preserved the same root, so the word has been crumpling cloth in both English and Dutch for centuries. The verb is closely tied to "frump," "frumpy," and "frumpish," words for dowdy or rumpled appearance. The shared sense of creased, untidy looseness links a crumpled garment to a person who looks shabby and unkempt, which is how those adjectives came to describe clothing that has lost its smoothness.

Synonyms: crumple, rumple, wrinkle

Antonyms: smooth