noun / verb
bump
A small swelling or raised projection.
A small bump rises on her forehead after the fall.
Etymology
Bump belongs to an expressive family suggesting a dull impact. The swelling sense names the raised lump a blow can leave, then extends to small raised projections more generally.
More examples
- Tree roots bumped up the paving stones.
- The car jolted over a bump in the road.
- The uneven paint left several bumps on the wall.
Forms
bump · bumps · bumped · bumping
Similar words
- lump
- A rounded mass, while bump usually projects from a surface.