clumse

C3L1U1M3S1E1
/ˈklʌms/

verb

To numb; benumb; stiffen or paralyse with cold or fear

OriginMiddle English clumsen ← Old Norse *klumsa →
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Meanings

verbclumse (third-person singular simple present clumses, present participle clumsing, simple past and past participle clumsed)

present singular third person clumses · participle present clumsing · participle past clumsed · past clumsed · alternative clumpse · alternative clumps

  1. transitiveTo numb; benumb; stiffen or paralyse with cold or fear
  2. intransitiveTo be numb or benumbed; be stiffened or paralysed with cold or fear
  3. ScotlanddialectalTo die of thirst
adjectiveclumse (comparative more clumse, superlative most clumse)

comparative more clumse · superlative most clumse · alternative clumpse · alternative clumps

  1. benumbed, as with cold
  2. idle; lazy; loutish
nounclumse (plural clumses)

plural clumses · alternative clumpse · alternative clumps

  1. A stupid fellow; numbskull

Origin

  1. Old Norse*klumsa
  2. Middle Englishclumsen
  3. Englishclumse

From Middle English clumsen, clomsen, cloumsen, from Old Norse *klumsa (compare Old Norse klumsa (“lock-jawed”)), whence also dialectal Norwegian klumsa (“to make speechless or benumbed”), dialectal Swedish klumsen (“numb with cold”). Compare related Low German verklamen, Dutch kleumen, verkleumen, German verklomen.

More words from Middle English, Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

muscle
Cite this entry
APA

clumse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clumse

MLA

“clumse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clumse. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clumse,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clumse.

Source: clumse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.