hʌmp n. & v. --n. 1 a rounded protuberance on
the back of a
camel etc., or as an
abnormality on a person's back. 2 a rounded raised mass of
earth etc. 3 a mound
over which railway vehicles are pushed so as to
run by
gravity to the required
place in a marshalling yard. 4 a
critical point in an
undertaking,
ordeal, etc. 5 (prec. by the)
Brit. sl. a fit of
depression or
vexation (it gives me the hump). --v.tr. 1 a (often foll. by about) colloq.
lift or
carry (heavy objects etc.)
with difficulty. b
esp.
Austral.
hoist up,
shoulder (one's pack etc.). 2
make hump-shaped. 3
annoy,
depress. 4
coarse sl.
have sexual intercourse with. °In
sense 4 usually considered a
taboo word. øhump bridge =
humpback bridge. live on one's hump colloq. be
self-sufficient. over the hump over the
worst; well
begun. øøhumped adj. humpless adj. [17th
c.: perh. rel. to LG humpel hump, LG humpe, Du. homp lump,
hunk (of bread)]