Pumps

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /pʌmps/

Definitions

1. A mechanism designed to transfer liquids or gases from one location to another; a style of shoe often worn for formal occasions featuring a sleek silhouette; an activity focused on raising pressure in a system to encourage the movement of substances
2. A tool that moves liquids or gases from one place to another ; a formal shoe with a low-cut design typically worn by women ; the process of boosting pressure to propel a substance forward
3. An apparatus used to transfer fluids within a system ; a style of footwear characterized by its closed and low-cut shape ; an action applying force to increase pressure in a medium

Etymology: The word here is the plural of "pump", so the question is really about the shoe. Its origin is unsettled. The mechanical pump is usually traced to Middle Dutch "pompe" or Middle Low German "pumpe", words for a pipe or water conduit, and the sound-based guesses, such as a splashing or thumping noise, are the likeliest explanation for a word that sounds so much like its own action. For the footwear sense, one proposal links the word to "pomp", meaning ornamentation, since these light shoes were worn for display at formal occasions. Another suggests a sound: the slap of a loose-fitting shoe on the foot when dancing. Dictionary editors list the origin of the 16th-century English shoe sense as obscure, and some connect it to a Dutch word "pampoesje", possibly borrowed from Javanese "pampus", which traces back through Arabic "bābūsh" and Persian "pâpuš", meaning slipper.

Synonyms: squeezers, compressors, blowers, fans, movers