lumper

American  

[luhm-per] / ˈlʌm pər /

noun

1. a day laborer employed to handle cargo, as fish or timber.

2. Biology Informal. a taxonomist who believes that classifications should emphasize similarities among organisms and therefore favors large, inclusive taxa (splitter ).

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lumper British  

/ ˈlʌmpə /

noun

1. a stevedore; docker

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Etymology

Origin of lumper

1775–85; lump ¹ (in v. sense) + -er ¹

Example Sentences

“I’m very conservative, and I’m a lumper at heart,” he admits.

From National Geographic • Feb. 16, 2024

A native of Hawaii, he worked as a lumper at the wholesale produce market but got too old for the physical job.

From Los Angeles Times

That year, the Labor Party formed its first majority government, a cabinet consisting of two miners, a wharf lumper, a building worker, a hatter, a compositor, an engine driver and, of course, Billy Hughes.

From Time Magazine Archive

He was not a splitter, but a lumper, a seeker of deeper anatomy.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The lumper staggered up the stack Where he was told to stack it; And Jack was paid and put the cash Inside his linen jacket.

From A Book for Kids by Dennis, C. J. (Clarence James)