Bumpkin

Bump·kin

Bumpkin

n.

[The same word as bumkin, which Cotgrave defines thus: “Bumkin, F. chicambault, the luffe-block, a long and thick piece of wood, whereunto the fore-sayle and sprit-sayle are fastened, when a ship goes by the winde.” Hence, a clumsy man may easily have been compared to such a block of wood; cf. OD. boomken a little tree. See Boom a pole.]

An awkward, heavy country fellow; a clown; a country lout.

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