bum

Contents

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʌm/

• Audio (CA)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌm

Etymology 1

From Middle English bum (“buttocks, bottom”), a syncopated form of Middle English botym (“bottom”). Compare also Old Irish, Scottish Gaelic bun (“base, bottom”). More at bottom.

Noun

bum (plural bums)

1. The buttocks.

   Okay, everyone sit on your bum and try and touch your toes.

2. (Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, informal, rare, Canada, US) The anus.
3. (by metonymy, informal) A person.

Usage notes

• In Canada, bum is considered the most appropriate term when speaking to young children, as in Everyone please sit on your bum and we'll read a story. In the United States, bum is not often used in this sense (though this may vary from dialect to dialect) except in conscious imitation of British English. The term butt is the most common term in North America except in professional contexts such as medical, legal, and scientific where buttocks is generally used or gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, etc. for the muscles specifically. Glutes is often used in sports medicine and bodybuilding. Ass (originally a dialectal variant of arse) is considered vulgar in North America, whereas backside, behind, and bottom are considered to be non-specific terms.

Quotations

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:bum.

Synonyms

• (buttocks or anus): arse (UK, Irish, Australian, New Zealand), ass (North America), backside, behind, bottom, bum (North America), butt (North America), heinie (North America), fanny (North America), tush (North America), tushie (North America)
  • (buttocks specifically): butt cheeks (North America), buttocks (technical), nether cheek, arsecheek, asscheek, cheeks, glutes (muscles), gluteus maximus (primary muscles)
  • (anus specifically): anus (technical), arsehole (UK, Irish, Australian, New Zealand), asshole (North America)
• See also Thesaurus:anus

Translations

informal: buttocks or anus

• Bulgarian: задник (bg) m (zadnik)
• Dutch: gat (nl) n, kont (nl) m, reet (nl) m, poep (nl) f (Flemish), achterwerk (nl) n, achterste (nl) n
• Finnish: peppu (fi), perse (fi), takapuoli (fi)
• French: cul (fr) m
• Greek: ποπός (el) m (popós), πισινός (el) m (pisinós)
• Italian: deretano (it), didietro (it) m, culo (it), sedere (it) m
• Malayalam: ചന്തി (ml) (canti)

• Polish: pupa (pl) f
• Portuguese: nalgas (pt), cu (pt), ânus (pt) m, traseiro (pt) m, bunda (pt) f, bumbum (pt) m
• Russian: за́дница (ru) f (zádnica)
• Scottish Gaelic: màs m, tòn f
• Spanish: ano (es), trasero (es)
• Swedish: häck (sv), rumpa (sv), stjärt (sv) c
• Tamil: குண்டி (ta) (kuṇṭi)

informal: butt(ocks) specifically

• Bulgarian: дупе n (dupe)
• Dutch: billen (nl) f pl, bips (nl) m
• Finnish: peppu (fi), pakarat (fi) pl, takapuoli (fi)
• French: fesses (fr) f pl
• Greek: οπίσθια (el) n pl (opísthia)

• Italian: glutei (it), chiappe (it)
• Portuguese: nalgas (pt), bunda (pt) f, nádegas (pt) f pl, bumbum (pt) m
• Russian: за́дница (ru) f (zádnica)
• Scottish Gaelic: màs m, tòn m

anus specifically

• Dutch: anus (nl) m
• Finnish: perse (fi), anus (fi), perseenreikä
• French: cul (fr) m, trou du cul (fr) m
• Italian: ano (it) m

• Kwak'wala: mengas
• Portuguese: cu (pt), ânus (pt) m, brioco m, toba (pt) m
• Scottish Gaelic: màs m, tòn f
• Swedish: anus (sv) n, rövhål (sv) n

Verb

bum (third-person singular simple present bums, present participle bumming, simple past and past participle bummed)

1. (Britain, transitive, colloquial) To sodomize; to engage in anal sex.

Interjection

bum

1. (Britain) An expression of annoyance.
   • 2010, Jill Mansell, Sheer Mischief:

     Maxine tried hers. 'Oh bum,' she said crossly. 'The sugar isn't sugar. It's salt.'

Derived terms

Terms derived from senses associated with etymology 1

• bum bum
• bumfluff

• bumhole
• bums in seats

• head down, bum up

Etymology 2

1864, back-formation from bummer, from German Bummler (“loafer”), from bummeln (“loaf”)

Noun

bum (plural bums)

2. (Canada, US, colloquial, sometimes derogatory) A homeless person, usually a man.
3. (Canada, US, Australia, colloquial) A lazy, incompetent, or annoying person, usually a man.

   Fred is becoming a bum - he's not even bothering to work more than once a month.

   That mechanic's a bum - he couldn't fix a yo-yo.

   That guy keeps interrupting the concert. Throw the bum out!

   • 1987, The Pogues - Fairytale of New York

     You're a bum

     You're a punk

     You're an old slut on junk

     Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed

4. (Canada, US, Australia, colloquial, sports) A player or racer who often performs poorly.

   Trade him to another team, he's a bum!

   • 2001, Laura Hillenbrand - Seabiscuit: An American Legend

     Seabiscuit, wrote another reporter, “was a hero in California and a pretty fair sort of horse in the midwest. In the east, however, he was just a ‘bumʼ”

5. (colloquial) A drinking spree.

Synonyms

• (hobo): hobo, homeless person, tramp, vagrant, wanderer, vagabond
• (lazy person): loafer, bumpkin, footler, idler, lout, yob, yobbo, layabout
• (drinking spree): binge, bender
• See also Thesaurus:vagabond
• See also Thesaurus:idler

Translations

hobo

• Bulgarian: безделник (bg) m (bezdelnik), нехранимайко (bg) m (nehranimajko)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 瘪三 (zh) (biēsān), 乞丐 (zh) (qǐgài)

• Dutch: landloper (nl) m, vagebond (nl) m, dakloze (nl) m, zwerver (nl) m
• Esperanto: vagabondo, trampo, vaganto, vagulo
• Estonian: hulkur
• Finnish: hulttio (fi), pummi (fi), renttu (fi)
• French: vagabond (fr)
• German: Penner (de) m, Wohnsitzlose
• Hungarian: csavargó (hu)

• Italian: vagabondo (it) m, fannullone (it) m, barbone m
• Japanese: 乞丐 (ja) (きつかい, kitsukai), くだらないやつ (kudaranai yatsu), ろくでなし (rokudenashi)
• Korean: 걸개 (geol-gae), 乞丐
• Navajo: naʼałjidí
• Portuguese: sem-teto (pt) m or f
• Russian: бомж (ru) m (bomž), попроша́йка (ru) m or f (poprošájka), бродя́га (ru) m or f (brodjága)
• Slovak: povaľač m, bezdomovec m, tulák m
• Spanish: vagabundo (es) m, vago (es) m
• Swedish: lodare (sv)/lodis (sv), luffare (sv), uteliggare (sv) c
• Taos: tràmpiʼína

player or racer who performs poorly

• French: tocard (fr) m

Verb

bum (third-person singular simple present bums, present participle bumming, simple past and past participle bummed)

1. (transitive, colloquial) To ask someone to give one (something) for free; to beg for something.

   Can I bum a cigarette off you?

2. (intransitive, colloquial) To stay idle and unproductive, like a hobo or vagabond; to loiter.

   I think I'll just bum around downtown for awhile until dinner.

3. (transitive, slang, Britain) To wet the end of a marijuana cigarette (spliff).

Synonyms

• cadge (British)

Translations

to beg for something

• Czech: somrovat impf, vysomrovat pf
• Dutch: bietsen (nl), aftroggelen (nl)
• Finnish: pummata (fi)
• French: taper (fr)

• German: schnorren (de)
• Italian: oziare (it), vagabondare
• Portuguese: implorar (pt)
• Russian: кля́нчить (ru) (kljánčitʹ)

to stay idle and unproductive

• French: glander (fr), glandouiller (fr)

Adjective

bum (comparative bummer, superlative bummest)

1. Of poor quality or highly undesirable.

   bum note

2. Unfair.

   bum deal

3. Injured and without the possibility of full repair, defective.

   I can't play football anymore on account of my bum knee.

4. Unpleasant.

   He had a bum trip on that mescaline.

Quotations

• For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:bum.

Synonyms

• (defective): duff (UK)

Translations

of poor quality or highly undesirable

• Bulgarian: повреден (bg) (povreden), негоден (bg) (negoden)
• German: mies (de), schlecht (de), miserabel (de), erbärmlich (de), armselig (de)

• Italian: scadente (it)

unfair

• Bulgarian: нечестен (bg) (nečesten)

• German: unsauber (de), unfair (de), unlauter (de), unredlich (de), unehrlich (de)

defective

• German: nachhaltig beschädigt

Derived terms

Terms derived from senses associated with etymology 2

• bum around
• bum bailiff
• bum rap

• bum's rush
• corporate welfare bum
• on the bum

• welfare bum

Etymology 3

Back-formation from bum out.

Verb

bum (third-person singular simple present bums, present participle bumming, simple past and past participle bummed)

1. To depress; to make unhappy.

References

• “bum” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

Etymology 4

See boom.

Noun

bum (plural bums)

1. (dated) A humming noise.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

Verb

bum (third-person singular simple present bums, present participle bumming, simple past and past participle bummed)

1. (intransitive) To make a murmuring or humming sound.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Jamieson to this entry?)

Etymology 5

Abbreviations.

Noun

bum (plural bums)

1. (obsolete) A bumbailiff.
   • 1705, Bernard Mandeville, The Fable of the Bees:

     About her Chariot, and behind, / Were Sergeants, Bums of every kind, / Tip-staffs, and all those Officers, / That squeeze a Living out of Tears.

Anagrams

• MBU, UMB, umb, umb-

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Albanian

Noun

bum ?

1. (economics) boom

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Irish

Etymology

Noun

bum m (genitive singular bum, nominative plural bumanna)

1. (sailing) boom

Declension

Declension of bum

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative bum bumanna Vocative a bhum a bhumanna Genitive bum bumanna Dative bum bumanna

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an bum na bumanna Genitive an bhum na mbumanna Dative leis an mbum don bhum leis na bumanna

Synonyms

• crann scóide
• bumaile

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
bum	bhum	mbum
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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Mizo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bum/

Verb

bum

1. swindle
2. cheat
3. trick

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Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bum/

• Audio

  (file)

Interjection

bum

1. boom! (sound of explosion)
2. bang! (any brief, sharp, loud noise)

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Portuguese

Interjection

bum!

1. boom (sound of explosion)

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Serbo-Croatian

Verb

bum (Cyrillic spelling бум)

1. (Kajkavian) first-person singular future of biti

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Spanish

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbum/, [ˈbũm]

Interjection

¡bum!

1. boom (used to suggest the sound of an explosion)
2. boom (used to suggest something happening suddenly and unexpectedly)

See also

• pum
• pop

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Transylvanian Saxon

Noun

bum m

1. tree

References

• Siebenbürger Sachsen

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Volapük

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bum/

Noun

bum (nominative plural bums)

1. act of building

Declension

declension of bum

	singular	plural
nominative	bum	bums
genitive	buma	bumas
dative	bume	bumes
accusative	bumi	bumis
vocative 1	o bum!	o bums!
predicative 2	bumu	bumus

• ¹ status as a case is disputed
• ² in some later, non-classical Volapük only

Derived terms

• bumäd
• bumot

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Welsh

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /bɨ̞m/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /bɪm/

Numeral

bum

1. Soft mutation of pum (“five”).

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
pum	bum	mhum	phum
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.