Other forms: incumbents
An incumbent is the person who currently holds the post. The incumbent president, unseat the incumbent, the incumbent's advantage.
Incumbents win far more often than they lose, from name recognition, funding and the machinery of office — the incumbency advantage is a measured effect in political science. In business, the incumbent is the established firm a challenger is attacking. As an adjective, it is incumbent on somebody means it is their duty, which is the older sense and comes from the Latin for leaning on.
1nounincumbentThe person who currently holds the post.
“The incumbent lost the election to a young newcomer with no political experience.”
2adjectiverestingResting on somebody as a duty.
“It is incumbent on parents to make sure their children go to school.”
incumbent is a current holder of office.
inCUMBent → the one drawing the INCOME now
The one already in the post, drawing the income from it while everyone else waits.
hooks ontoincome
Latin incumbens is the participle of incumbere, to lean or lie upon — in plus cumbere, to lie down. Recumbent and succumb come from the same lying.
Proto-Indo-European
*ḱewb-
Latin
incumbentem
English, today
incumbent
Built from
From Latin incumbentem + -ent. Incumbentem is the accusative singular of incumbēns (“reclining”), the present active participle of incumbō (“to lay upon, to lean or recline on; to fall upon, to press down on”), from in- + cumbō (“to lie down, recline”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱewb-).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA