Rump

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹʌmp/

Definitions

1. The rear part of an animal's body, especially the buttocks, can also refer to a minor or leftover portion of a larger entity or concept
2. The posterior area of an animal's anatomy is characterized by the buttocks, which may also denote a lesser remnant of something greater
3. The rear section of an animal's body around the buttocks ; a small part left over from a whole

Etymology: The most striking part of this word's story is its political career. In 1648, during the English Civil War, the "Rump Parliament" was the remnant of the Long Parliament after Colonel Pride's purge removed members hostile to the army, and the name stuck to the body that remained. The sense of a leftover, or what is left after the rest has been removed, comes directly from that event. The word itself is far older and more physical. It came into Middle English as "rumpe" from Old Norse "rumpr", and it is cognate with Dutch "romp" and German "Rumpf", both meaning trunk or body. Its original sense was the hindquarters of an animal, and the Germanic root is linked to "hrimpaną", meaning to wrinkle, perhaps a nod to the folds of skin on that part of a body.

Synonyms: rear, back, hindquarters