cumber
/ˈkʌmbə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 1.88 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Why asks he what avails him not in fight, / And would but cumber and retard his flight?"
- "The multiplying variety of arguments, especially frivolous ones, […] but cumbers the memory."
- "Wounded and overthrown, the Britons continued their resistance, clung round the legs of the Norman steeds, and cumbered their advance; while their brethren, thrusting with pikes, proved every joint and crevice of the plate and mail, or grappling with the men-at-arms, strove to pull them from their horses by main force, or beat them down with their bills and Welch hooks."
- "[…] the base villain who murdered this poor defenceless old man, when he had not, by the course of nature, a twelvemonth's life in him, shall not cumber the earth long after him."
- "[T]hese people, whose name, much as I would like to express my gratitude to them, I may not even give here, nevertheless cumbered themselves with me, sheltered me and protected me from myself."
- "Why had he not killed himself long ago? Why cumbered he the earth?"
Etymology
From Middle English combren, aphetic form of acombren or encombren, borrowed from Old French encombrer, ultimately either from Latin cumulus or Proto-Celtic *kombereti (“to bring together”), from *kom- + *bereti (“to bear”). Cognate with German kümmern (“to take care of”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˈkʌmbə/