cumber

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See also: 'cumber

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English combren, aphetic form of acombren or encombren, borrowed from Old French encombrer, ultimately either from Latin cumulus or Proto-Celtic *kombereti (“to bring together”), from *kom- +‎ *bereti (“to bear”). Cognate with German kümmern (“to take care of”).

Verb

cumber (third-person singular simple present cumbers, present participle cumbering, simple past and past participle cumbered)

  1. (transitive, dated) To slow down; to hinder; to burden; to encumber.
    Synonyms: encumber, see also Thesaurus:hinder
    • 1717, John Dryden , “(please specify |book=I to XV)”, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books. , London: Jacob Tonson, , →OCLC:
      Why asks he what avails him not in fight, / And would but cumber and retard his flight?
    • a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke:  Malebranche’s Opinion of Seeing All Things in God. III. A Discourse of Miracles. IV. Part of a Fourth Letter for Toleration. V. Memoirs Relating to the Life of Anthony First Earl of Shaftesbury. To which is Added, VI. His New Method of a Common-place-book, Written Originally in French, and Now Translated into English.">…], London: A and J Churchill, , published 1706, →OCLC:
      The multiplying variety of arguments, especially frivolous ones, but cumbers the memory.
    • 1825 June 22, , chapter IV, in Tales of the Crusaders.  In Four Volumes.">…], volume I (The Betrothed), Edinburgh: ">…] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 71:
      Wounded and overthrown, the Britons continued their resistance, clung round the legs of the Norman steeds, and cumbered their advance; while their brethren, thrusting with pikes, proved every joint and crevice of the plate and mail, or grappling with the men-at-arms, strove to pull them from their horses by main force, or beat them down with their bills and Welch hooks.
    • 1886, Sir Walter Scott, The Fortunes of Nigel. Pub.: Adams & Charles Black, Edinburgh; page 321:
      the base villain who murdered this poor defenceless old man, when he had not, by the course of nature, a twelvemonth's life in him, shall not cumber the earth long after him.
    • 1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 290:
      hese people, whose name, much as I would like to express my gratitude to them, I may not even give here, nevertheless cumbered themselves with me, sheltered me and protected me from myself.
    • 1911, Max Beerbohm, Zuleika Dobson:
      Why had he not killed himself long ago? Why cumbered he the earth?
    • 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 98:
      Moreover, that distinctive hair of hers was screwed up into a tight plait and she carried a heavy basket on her hip and a weighted bucket of oysters in her other hand, which cumbered the grace of her body and turned her into the dull replica of any other peasant creature.
Alternative forms
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Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English komber, kumbre, cumbre, combre (“distress; destruction”). Used in 14th century Middle English in the very scarcely attested “destruction” sense but not in common use until the 16th century; at first chiefly Scots, where it is also spelled cummer. Further etymology is uncertain, the term is either:

Noun

cumber (uncountable)

  1. (obsolete) Trouble, distress.
    • 1810, The Lady of the Lake, Walter Scott, 3.XVI:
      Fleet foot on the correi, / Sage counsel in cumber, / Red hand in the foray, / How sound is thy slumber!
  2. Something that encumbers; a hindrance, a burden.
    (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)
Derived terms

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

Noun

cumber (plural cumbers)

  2. (colloquial) Clipping of cucumber.

References

  1. ^ “combre, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ “cumber, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2025.

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