different between sponger vs bum

English

Etymology

sponge +? -er

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?sp?nd??/

Noun

sponger (plural spongers)

1. One who uses a sponge.
2. A parasitic hanger-on.
3. A person or vessel employed in gathering sponges from the sea.
4. A device for sponging cloth by means of a perforated adjustable cylinder.

Synonyms

• (parasitic hanger-on): moocher; See also Thesaurus:scrounger

Translations

Anagrams

• pongers, presong

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?m/
• Rhymes: -?m

Etymology 1

Attested since the 1300s, as Middle English bom (found in John Trevisa's 1387 Translation of the 'Polychronicon' of Ranulph Higden, "his bom is oute"), of uncertain origin. Sometimes suggested to a shortening of botme, botom, bottum (“bottom”), but this is contradicted by the fact that bottom is not attested in reference to the buttocks until the late 1700s. Suggested by some old and modern references to be onomatopoeic. Compare also Old Irish, Scottish Gaelic bun (“base, bottom”).

Noun

bum (plural bums)

1. The buttocks.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:buttocks

   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:bum.
2. (informal, rare) The anus.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:anus

Usage notes

• In Canada, bum is considered the most appropriate term when speaking to young children, as in Everyone please sit on your bum and we'll read a story. In the United States, bum is not often used in this sense (though this may vary from dialect to dialect) except in conscious imitation of British English. The term butt is the most common term in North America except in professional contexts such as medical, legal, and scientific where buttocks is generally used or gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, etc. for the muscles specifically. Glutes is often used in sports medicine and bodybuilding. Ass (originally a dialectal variant of arse) is considered vulgar in North America, whereas backside, behind, and bottom are considered to be non-specific terms.

Translations

Verb

bum (third-person singular simple present bums, present participle bumming, simple past and past participle bummed)

1. (Britain, transitive, colloquial) To sodomize; to engage in anal sex.

Interjection

bum

1. (Britain) An expression of annoyance.
   • 2010, Jill Mansell, Sheer Mischief:

     Maxine tried hers. 'Oh bum,' she said crossly. 'The sugar isn't sugar. It's salt.'

Derived terms

Etymology 2

1864, back-formation from bummer, from German Bummler (“loafer”), from bummeln (“to loaf”).

Noun

bum (plural bums)

2. (US, Canada, colloquial, sometimes derogatory) A homeless person, usually a man.

   Synonyms: tramp, vagrant, wanderer, vagabond; see also Thesaurus:vagabond

3. (US, Canada, Australia, colloquial) A lazy, incompetent, or annoying person, usually a man.

   Synonyms: loafer, bumpkin, footler; see also Thesaurus:idler
4. (US, Canada, Australia, colloquial, sports) A player or racer who often performs poorly.
5. (colloquial) A drinking spree.

   Synonyms: binge, bender

Translations

Verb

bum (third-person singular simple present bums, present participle bumming, simple past and past participle bummed)

1. (transitive, colloquial) To ask someone to give one (something) for free; to beg for something.

   Synonyms: (British) cadge; see also Thesaurus:scrounge

2. (intransitive, colloquial) To stay idle and unproductive, like a hobo or vagabond.

   Synonym: loiter

3. (transitive, slang, Britain) To wet the end of a marijuana cigarette (spliff).

Translations

Adjective

bum (comparative bummer, superlative bummest)

1. Of poor quality or highly undesirable.

2. Unfair.

3. Injured and without the possibility of full repair, defective.

   Synonym: (UK) duff

4. Unpleasant or unhappy.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:bum.

Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Back-formation from bum out.

Verb

bum (third-person singular simple present bums, present participle bumming, simple past and past participle bummed)

1. To depress; to make unhappy.

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “bum”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Etymology 4

See boom.

Noun

bum (plural bums)

1. (dated) A humming noise.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

Verb

bum (third-person singular simple present bums, present participle bumming, simple past and past participle bummed)

1. (intransitive) To make a murmuring or humming sound.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Jamieson to this entry?)

Etymology 5

Abbreviations.

Noun

bum (plural bums)

1. (obsolete) A bumbailiff.
   • 1705, Bernard Mandeville, The Fable of the Bees:

     About her Chariot, and behind, / Were Sergeants, Bums of every kind, / Tip-staffs, and all those Officers, / That squeeze a Living out of Tears.

References

Anagrams

• MBU, UMB, umb, umb-

Albanian

Etymology

From English boom with orthographic adaptation.

Noun

bum ?

1. (economics) boom

Indonesian

Etymology 1

From Dutch slagboom (“boom barrier, boom gate”) or boom (“beam, barrier, tree, pole”), from Middle Dutch bôom, from Old Dutch b?m, from Proto-Germanic *baumaz. Doublet of bom.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?b?m]
• Hyphenation: bum

Noun

bum (first-person possessive bumku, second-person possessive bummu, third-person possessive bumnya)

1. boom barrier, boom gate
2. (figuratively) customs.

   Synonyms: duane, pabean

Alternative forms

• bom

Etymology 2

From English boom, onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?b?m]
• Hyphenation: bum

Noun

bum (first-person possessive bumku, second-person possessive bummu, third-person possessive bumnya)

1. (economics, business) boom: a period of prosperity, growth, progress, or high market activity.

Further reading

• “bum” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.

Irish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bum m (genitive singular bum, nominative plural bumanna)

1. (sailing) boom

Declension

Synonyms

• crann scóide
• bumaile

Mutation

Mizo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bum/

Verb

bum

1. swindle
2. cheat
3. trick

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bum/

Interjection

bum

1. boom! (sound of explosion)
2. bang! (any brief, sharp, loud noise)

Portuguese

Interjection

bum!

1. boom (sound of explosion)

Serbo-Croatian

Verb

bum (Cyrillic spelling ???)

1. (Kajkavian) first-person singular future of biti

Spanish

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bum/, [?b?m]

Interjection

¡bum!

1. boom (used to suggest the sound of an explosion)
2. boom (used to suggest something happening suddenly and unexpectedly)

See also

• pum
• pop

Transylvanian Saxon

Noun

bum m

1. tree

References

• Siebenbürger Sachsen

Volapük

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bum/

Noun

bum (nominative plural bums)

1. act of building

Declension

Derived terms

• bumäd
• bumot

Welsh

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /b??m/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /b?m/

Numeral

bum

1. Soft mutation of pum (“five”).

Mutation