Hummer

English

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Hummer

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• (HMMWV): hummer

Etymology 1

Humvee +‎ -er

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhʌmɚ/
• Rhymes: -ʌmə(ɹ)

Noun

Hummer (plural Hummers)

1. A brand of sport utility vehicles sold by General Motors, and by extension, any large similar vehicle.
   • 2022, N. K. Jemisin, The World We Make, Orbit, page 272:

     Hummers are a somewhat unusual sight in New York. The kinds of people who like them as status symbols often don’t like the city’s narrow, messy street configurations, which can be hard for bulky vehicles to manage.

2. (military, slang) The HMMWV or Humvee, a US Army vehicle which replaced the Jeep.
   • 1985, Andy Rooney, Pieces of my Mind‎, →ISBN, page 38:

     "The vehicle is called the 'Hummer,' a contrived abbreviation of its official designation, 'High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle.'"

   • 1985, James Coates, Michael Kilian, Heavy Losses: The Dangerous Decline of American Defense‎, →ISBN, page 25:

     "The Hummer, a clumsy, elongated vehicle the Army intended as a replacement for the hardy Jeep, developed so many problems it became known as the Bummer."

   • 1987, Michael Barone, Grant Ujifusa, The Almanac of American Politics, 1988‎, →ISBN, page 403:

     "He made a point of not taking federal money for the district -- though by 1986 he was bragging about landing an Army contract to build the Hummer vehicle for a South Bend company."

   • 1994, World Book Inc., “Jeep”, in World Book Encyclopedia‎, vol. J, →ISBN, page 25:

     "A Hummer can carry four people."

Usage notes

Since the introduction of the civilian Hummer in the 1990s, this term has ceased to be used for the military vehicle; the term "Humvee" is typically used instead.

Hyponyms

• HMMWV
• Humvee / humvee

Translations

See also

• MRAP
• jeep

Etymology 2

German and West Frisian surname, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hugô, *hugiz (“mind”) + *mērijaz (“famous”). Related to Hugh and the first element of Merovingian.

Proper noun

Hummer

1. A surname from German

Further reading

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Hummer”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 215.

German

Etymology

16th century, from Middle Low German *hummer, itself from Old Norse humarr, perhaps through early Norwegian (as many lobsters were caught off the coast of Norway). From the same North Germanic source Modern Low German Hummer, Plautdietsch Humma, Dutch hommer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhʊmɐ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊmɐ

Noun

Hummer m (strong, genitive Hummers, plural Hummer)

1. lobster

Declension

See also

• Panzerkrebs m

Further reading

• “Hummer” in Duden online
• “Hummer” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Old High German hamar, from Proto-Germanic *hamaraz. Cognate with German Hammer, Dutch hamer, English hammer, Icelandic hamar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhumer/,

Noun

Hummer m (plural Himmer)

1. hammer

Further reading

• Hummer in the Lëtzebuerger Online Dictionnaire