I. ˈrəmp noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English rumpe, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Icelandic rumpr rump, buttocks, Danish rumpe buttocks; akin to Middle High German rumph trunk, torso, Middle Dutch romp trunk
1.
a. : the upper more or less rounded part of the hindquarters of a quadruped mammal — see cow illustration
b. : buttocks 1a
c. : the sacral or dorsal part of the posterior end of a bird — see bird illustration
d. : the hind end of the body of any of various animals in which well-defined landmarks are lacking
2. : a cut of beef between the loin end and the round — see beef illustration
3. : a small fragment or remainder: as
a. : a parliament, committee, or other group carrying on in the name of the original body after the departure or expulsion of a large number of its members
the rump of the National Assembly sits from time to time to endorse the … policy of the Government — Statesman's Year Book
reduced his congregation to a determined and inveterate rump of faithful souls — Robertson Davies
rump peasant and bourgeois groups are kept in the Government as window dressing — Economist
b. : a small group usually claiming to be representative of a larger whole that arises independently or breaks off from a parent body
set up a rump Government … with no effective authority — Sir Winston Churchill
c. : a fragment of a country left after partition or after secession, occupation, or annexation of a part
this small truncated rump of a country … is a viable economic unity — Edward Crankshaw
partitioned into two rump states — M.S.Handler
4. : a geographical feature (as a ridge or a cape) resembling a rump
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to turn one's back upon especially as a sign of contempt
2. : to remove (hide) from the hind leg of a slaughtered beef animal