Jump to content
 Share

6 Comments

Recommended Comments

  • Site Moderator
  • Popular Comment
drpaladin

drpaladin 82,328

Posted

  • Site Moderator
  • Popular Comment

Mumpsimus is a nonsense word replacing the Latin sumpsimus, meaning we have taken.

Its origin lies in a letter written ny Desiderius Erasmus where he tells the story of an illiterate priest who refuses to see his reading of Mass was in error.

  • Like 7
  • Popular Comment
sandrewn

sandrewn 22,534

Posted

  • Popular Comment

Often, when looking up ' STUFF' for, Word of the Day, most of the sites, appear quite alike! Encyclopedic, dictionaryish(?), sort of what it felt like when I walked into my High School library(I was an assistant librarian w/badge). So, finding a site, that answers, the what, where, why and when, along with, colorful attention grabbing visuals.... well here is my site of the day for you.

MUMPSIMUS... | LOUISE HAWES

 

And just a (passing)thought to leave you with a smile, to start your day.........

 

spacer.png

 

 

May the force,

be with you

:cowboy:

  • Like 4
  • Haha 4
  • Site Moderator
  • Popular Comment
drpaladin

drpaladin 82,328

Posted

  • Site Moderator
  • Popular Comment

Mumpsimus can also be a bigoted adherent to a disproven belief. Archie Bunker would be an example of a mumpsimus.

  • Like 5
  • Haha 1
  • Popular Comment
Leslie Lofton

Leslie Lofton 1,815

Posted (edited)

  • Popular Comment

As a Catholic myself, I know all about adhering to outdated beliefs and mindless repetition, but I love 'em anyway. I just try to remember it's 2024, not 1324

Because I can't leave this kind of thing alone, and I'm sitting in church right now, I had to run to the old MW unabridged. The corrupted word is sumpsimus: "we take", as in talking communion. Edit: apologies to @drpaladin He already said it 😳. If it helps, the cognate in English is "consume" 

Two other Latin Mass phrases are corrupted to expressions that evoke magical nonsense: 

Hoc est corpus: this is the body, which is the culmination of the Eucharistic rite

Pater noster qui erit in coeli: Our Father who art in heaven.

Do you know what the magic words are?

Edited by Leslie Lofton
  • Like 6
JamesSavik

JamesSavik 24,837

Posted

When you are born and raised in the South, sometimes it’s difficult to shake some of the mumpsimus of our culture. Honor codes, expected manners and beliefs we are raised with make us feel a bit like aliens in a culture that seems defined by no culture at all.

  • Like 4
Leslie Lofton

Leslie Lofton 1,815

Posted

Hold on to your mumpsimus. Here come the answers.

Hocus Pocus is a derogatory corruption of Hoc est corpus

A paternoster is a magic spell, amulet or charm. To patter is to make a soft rhythmic noise, such as mindless praying. patter patter patter...

7 hours ago, JamesSavik said:

born and raised in the South

So was I, but being Catholic, continuously broke, cousinless, half-northerner, and an NPR listener, I was an outsider. We were always running up against our grandparents' mumpsimuses because Mother (I call my mother Mother, like Norman Bates) didn't learn us proper.

 

  • Like 3

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...