Etymology Map
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Pump

3 stages from Middle Dutch to English.

Today it means a device that forces liquid or gas to move; to move with such a device

Where does the word "pump" come from? It comes from Middle Dutch pompe, passing through Middle English before entering English (1600s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
pompe
Middle Dutch · medieval
"pipe, ship's pump"
probably imitative of the sound of pumping; Dutch ships needed them constantly to clear bilge water
2
Stage 2 of 3
pumpe
Middle English · 1400s
"ship's pump"
first recorded as a ship's pump
3
Stage 3 of 3
pump
English · 1600s
"a device for moving liquid"
the verb 'pump someone for information' dates from the 1600s
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Read the full story

Pump’s story begins in Middle Dutch: pompe meant “pipe, ship's pump.” Probably imitative of the sound of pumping; Dutch ships needed them constantly to clear bilge water. By 1400s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as pumpe. First recorded as a ship's pump. It reached English by 1600s as pump. The verb 'pump someone for information' dates from the 1600s. Today, pump means a device that forces liquid or gas to move; to move with such a device.