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  1. mumpsimus love

Definitions

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. An error obstinately clung to; a prejudice.

Wiktionary

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

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a traditional notion that is obstinately held although it is unreasonable

Etymologies

  1. Malapropism of Latin sumpsimus, as noted by Desiderius Erasmus of a monk who recited liturgy (Wiktionary)

Examples

  • “On August 18, 2003, I wrote the first post of this blog, a definition of the word "mumpsimus".”

    Five Years

  • “I Googled "mumpsimus" after reading this story b/c I thought it'd be a better name for my blog than "farragos".”

    In a Name

  • “*Pronunciation is another thing entirely; I have discovered over the past few years that, despite its phoneticity, actually saying the word "mumpsimus" is quite difficult for most people.”

    In a Name

  • “But Edward is a hotter little reformist than Elizabeth, who abides strictly by her father's middle way and says'taking Henry's words from his last speech to Parliament'that she will be neither 'mumpsimus' nor 'sumpsimus' but worship God without argument.”

    Ill Met By Moonlight

  • “I also hoped the title might cause some people to look up and thinking about the definition of the word "mumpsimus", the choice of which was a coy way for me to try to avoid all presumptions of accuracy from the get-go.”

    Archive 2004-02-01

  • “His {565} own anecdote of the old priest who, having the misprint "mumpsimus" for”

    The Age of the Reformation

  • “Although "mumpsimus" is the very motto for the Russian schismatics, and although ignorance and superstition were the root of the matter, they combined with a dread of arbitrary change by an arbitrary power, and supplied a basis for resistance to Erastianism and the fusion of Church and State.”

    Lectures on Modern history

  • “It was scarcely to be expected that the passions of James's age would allow of this wise distinction between Papists, the intriguing restless partizans of a foreign potentate, and simple Roman-Catholics, who preferred the 'mumpsimus' of their grandsires to the corrected”

    The Literary Remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

  • “The bishops and other church dignitaries tried for a while to renew the old king-godding 'mumpsimus'; but the second Charles laughed at them, and they quarrelled with his successor, and hated the hero who delivered them from him too thoroughly to have flattered him with any unction, even if William's Dutch phlegm had not precluded the attempt by making its failure certain.”

    Literary Remains, Volume 2

  • “I mentioned a few months ago that I'd taken the mumpsimus at gmail address off the site for a bit while I weeded it of spam sent through from some old addresses that were forwarding to it.”

    Mumpsimus Gmail Address Active Again

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Lists

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Comments

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  • mialuthien Wow, I love its etymology, thanks for the link! Jul 18, 2008

  • shevek A humorous medieval corruption of the Latin word sumpsimus, as detailed here. Jul 18, 2008

  • chained_bear ... wow ... Mar 27, 2008

  • ofravens Oh my God, where has this word been all my life. Mar 27, 2008

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‘mumpsimus’ has been looked up 3142 times, loved by 18 people, added to 50 lists, commented on 4 times, and has a Scrabble score of 14.