different between gimp vs gamp

English

Etymology 1

Attested since about 1660, perhaps from Dutch gimp or French guimpe, and likely from Old French guimpre, a variant of guipure, a kind of trimming.

The regional sense of "gumption" is attested since about 1905, and may have developed due to the reinforced nature of gimp cord, or possibly the influence of the words gumption and gumph.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??mp/
• Rhymes: -?mp

Noun

gimp (countable and uncountable, plural gimps)

1. A narrow ornamental fabric or braid of silk, wool, or cotton, often stiffened with metallic wire or coarse cord running through it, used as trimming for dresses, curtains, furniture, etc. Also guimpe.
2. Any coarse or reinforced thread, such as a glazed thread employed in lacemaking to outline designs, or silk thread used as a fishing leader, protected from the bite of fish by a wrapping of fine wire.
   • 1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber 2007, p. 87:

     I'm a fisher of men and my gimp is doing a saltarello over every body of water to fetch up what it may.

3. The plastic cord used in the plaiting and knotting craft Scoubidou (lanyard making); or, the process itself.
4. (dated, chiefly North Eastern US) Gumption

   Synonyms: spirit, ambition, vigor, pep

Related terms

• guimpe

Translations

Verb

gimp (third-person singular simple present gimps, present participle gimping, simple past and past participle gimped)

1. (of yarn, cord, thread, etc.) To wrap or wind (surround) with another length of yarn or wire in a tight spiral, often by means of a gimping machine, creating 'gimped yarn', etc. Also, generally, to wrap or twist with string or wire. See gimped.
   • 1856, Campbell Morfit, A Treatise on Chemistry Applied to the Manufacture of Soap and Candles, page 435 with illustration

     It consists of seventy fine spun cotton threads, gimped or tied around with thread by a machine similar to that for wrapping bonnet wire.
2. (dated) To notch or indent; to jag or make jagged; to edge with serrations or grooves.

Etymology 2

Attested in US slang since the 1920s. Maybe influenced by, or cognate with limp.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??mp/
• Rhymes: -?mp

Noun

gimp (plural gimps)

1. (informal) A person who is lame due to a crippling of the legs or feet.

   Synonyms: cripple, disabled (person)

2. (informal) A crippled leg.
3. (informal) A limp or a limping gait.
4. (slang, derogatory) A name-calling word, generally for a person who is perceived to be inept, deficient or peculiar

   Synonyms: dweeb, nerd, geek, gump, spod, dork

5. (BDSM) A sexual submissive, almost always male, dressed generally in a black leather suit. See Gimp (sadomasochism) in Wikipedia.
6. (video games, slang, derogatory) A character or ability that is underpowered.

Related terms

• gimp suit
• gimpy

Translations

Verb

gimp (third-person singular simple present gimps, present participle gimping, simple past and past participle gimped)

1. (intransitive, informal) To limp; to hobble.
2. (transitive, video games, slang) To make underpowered; to limit or restrict the useful effects of.

   Synonym: nerf

Etymology 3

Scots. Alternate form of jimp. Compare Welsh gwymp (“fair, neat, comely”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??mp/
• Rhymes: -?mp

Adjective

gimp (comparative more gimp, superlative most gimp)

1. (dated, Scotland and N England) Neat; trim; delicate; slender; handsome; spruce; elegant.

Quotations

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

References

• 1846, John T. Brockett, A Glossary of North Country Words, page 190

Anagrams

• pIgM

English

Etymology

After Mrs Sarah Gamp, a character who carried a large umbrella in Charles Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?amp/
• Rhymes: -æmp

Noun

gamp (plural gamps)

1. (Britain, dated) An umbrella.
   • 1900, A. W. Pullin, Talks with old English cricketers (page 169)

     It was the last day of the match, and owing to rain it was really unfit to play, but the promoters insisted upon our doing so, to satisfy the spectators, who stood round the ground with their umbrellas up. […] One gentleman sat with his gamp up on some rails near the railway.

   • 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 1111:

     In his hand he waved – an appropriate symbol of disapprobation – his London gamp meticulously rolled.

Anagrams

• AGMP

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Related to Norwegian Nynorsk gimpe (“twist the upper body”)

Noun

gamp m (definite singular gampen, indefinite plural gamper, definite plural gampene)

1. (work) horse
2. old horse, nag
   • 2017, "Sangen om den siste drage - bok 4" by Anne Olga Vea, Lulu.com ?ISBN [1]

References

• “gamp” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “gamp” in The Ordnett Dictionary

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Related to gimpe (“twist the upper body”)

Noun

gamp m (definite singular gampen, indefinite plural gampar, definite plural gampane)

1. (work) horse
2. old horse, nag

References

• “gamp” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Welsh

Noun

gamp

1. Soft mutation of camp.

Mutation