sump
[ suhmp ]
/ sʌmp /
noun
a pit, well, or the like in which water or other liquid is collected.
Machinery. a chamber at the bottom of a machine, pump, circulation system, etc., into which a fluid drains before recirculation or in which wastes gather before disposal.
Mining.
- a space where water is allowed to collect at the bottom of a shaft or below a passageway.
- a pilot shaft or tunnel pushed out in front of a main bore.
British. crankcase.
British Dialect. a swamp, bog, or muddy pool.
Nearby words
Origin of sump
1375–1425; late Middle English sompe < Middle Low German or Middle Dutch sump; cognate with German Sumpf; akin to swamp
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for sump
British Dictionary definitions for sump
sump
/ (sʌmp) /
noun
a receptacle, such as the lower part of the crankcase of an internal-combustion engine, into which liquids, esp lubricants, can drain to form a reservoir
another name for cesspool
mining
- a depression at the bottom of a shaft where water collects before it is pumped away
- the front portion of a shaft or tunnel, ahead of the main bore
British dialect a muddy pool or swamp
Word Origin for sump
C17: from Middle Dutch somp marsh; see swamp
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for sump
sump
early 15c., "marsh, morass," from Middle Dutch somp or Middle Low German sump, from Proto-Germanic *sumpaz. Meaning "pit to collect water" is first found 1650s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper