lumpy

UK/ˈlʌmpi/US/ˈlʌmpi/

adjectiveB22 meanings Common in everyday speech and writing · #6,377 of 15,258leans spoken

Lumpy means full of small solid bits that should not be there. Lumpy gravy, a lumpy mattress, lumpy custard.

In cooking it is always a fault, and the cause is nearly always flour or powder added to hot liquid too fast — adding a little liquid to the powder first is the fix. Of a mattress or a road it means uneven. Of data it means unevenly distributed, which is a real technical use in demand planning. Note lump; and lump it, meaning to put up with it.

Definitions of lumpy

1adjectivelumpyFull of small solid bits that should not be there.B2
“Keep stirring, or the gravy will go lumpy.”
- Said"The gravy's lumpy; didn't you whisk it as you added the stock?"
- WrittenThe porridge came out lumpy and grey, and the children negotiated for toast.
- UsedSieve the batter if it turns lumpy; do not try to beat the lumps out.
- ContrastLumpy, not smooth. Smooth has one texture all the way through; lumpy has pieces you can feel that should not be there. smooth →
- Not thisChunky soup is not lumpy soup. Chunky was meant; lumpy is a mistake.
- Exchange"How's the custard?""Lumpy. Pass the strainer."
- SimplyThe sauce is lumpy. It is not good to eat.
Patternlumpy + noun (sauce, mattress, porridge) · go lumpy · a bit lumpy · lumps
2adjectiveunevenUneven, of a surface or a distribution.B2
“The mattress was old and lumpy, and I hardly slept.”

lumpy is a quality of unevenness.

Remember it

LUMPy → full of LUMPS

It is lump + y: stir the sauce badly and it fills with small hard lumps.

hooks ontolump

Where it comes from

Proto-Germanic
*limpaną — to glide, go, hang loosely
Middle English
lumpe
English
lump
English, today
lumpy

From lump + -y. lump comes from Middle English lumpe, from a gem - base akin to Proto-Germanic limpaną (“to glide, go, hang loosely”). Compare Dutch lomp (“rag”), German Low German Lump (“rag”), German Lumpen (“rag”) and Lump (“ragamuffin”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Definitions of lumpy

1adjectivelumpyFull of small solid bits that should not be there.B2

“Keep stirring, or the gravy will go lumpy.”

Said"The gravy's lumpy; didn't you whisk it as you added the stock?"
WrittenThe porridge came out lumpy and grey, and the children negotiated for toast.
UsedSieve the batter if it turns lumpy; do not try to beat the lumps out.
ContrastLumpy, not smooth. Smooth has one texture all the way through; lumpy has pieces you can feel that should not be there. smooth →
Not thisChunky soup is not lumpy soup. Chunky was meant; lumpy is a mistake.
Exchange"How's the custard?""Lumpy. Pass the strainer."
SimplyThe sauce is lumpy. It is not good to eat.

Patternlumpy + noun (sauce, mattress, porridge) · go lumpy · a bit lumpy · lumps

2adjectiveunevenUneven, of a surface or a distribution.B2

“The mattress was old and lumpy, and I hardly slept.”

lumpy is a quality of unevenness.