| bump | 1. A thump; a heavy blow. 2. A swelling or prominence, resulting from a bump or blow; a protuberance. "It had upon its brow A bump as big as a young cockerel's stone." (Shak) 3. <psychology> One of the protuberances on the cranium which are associated with distinct faculties or affections of the mind; as, the bump of "veneration;" the bump of "acquisitiveness." 4. The act of striking the stern of the boat in advance with the prow of the boat following. Origin: From Bump to strike, to thump. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| bumpkin | An awkward, heavy country fellow; a clown; a country lout. "Bashful country bumpkins." Origin: The same word as bumkin, which Cotgrave defines thus: "Bumkin, Fr. 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. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| bumps | The raised area of a bump or bruise results from blood leaking from these injured blood vessels into the tissues as well as from the body's response to the injury. A purplish, flat bruise that occurs when blood leaks out into the top layers of skin is referred to as an ecchymosis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bumpy torus | <radiobiology> I believe this concept tries to combine mirror concepts with toroidal ones. My understanding is that it is essentially a series of mirrors stuck end to end and bent into a ring. - Albert Chou (corrections / enhancements welcome!) (09 Oct 1997) |