Meanings
bummery1
- historicaluncountableThe faction of the Industrial Workers of the World in the 20th century which favored direct action.
When De Leon broke with the I. W. W. in 1908 there were again members of the Party who declaimed against his abandoning the I. W. W. - members who had no sympathy with the bummery element.
1924, Proceedings of the National Convention of the Socialist Labor Party, page 361 more example
But the hour belonged to the bummery. Proclaiming a millennial vision of “One Big Union,” the hobo insurgents won the day, ousting the home-guard and dedicating the IWW to direct economic action exclusively.
2010, Todd DePastino, Citizen Hobo: How a Century of Homelessness Shaped America, page 95
bummery2
- obsoleteObsolete form of bottomry.
R. North There was a scrivener of Wapping brought to hearing for relief against a bummery bond.
Origin
bummery · noun
From bum + -ery and the idea that they were a collective of bums?
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
bummery. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bummery
“bummery.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bummery. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bummery,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bummery.
Source: bummery on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.