[‘ A great number, a crowd.']
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈmampəs/, U.S. /ˈmæmpəs/
Etymology:Perhaps < English regional mump a lump or heap (see Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v. Mump n.1 and compare mump n.2). For the termination compare rumpus n.
A form mumpus is also recorded in W. Barnes Gloss. Dorset Dial. (1886) at mampus, and as an adverb in J. D. Robertson Gloss. Words County of Gloucester (1890) at Mumpus: ‘“She fell down mumpus on the patch”; said of a child with epilepsy’. Compare also mompus recorded in Dict. Newfoundland Eng. (1982) 322/2 from spoken use in the utterance ‘the fish were mompus today’ and glossed ‘a crowd; a numerous group’.
/regional/.
A great number, a crowd.
c/1730 J. Haynes /Dorset Vocab. in /N. & Q./(1883) 21 July 45/1 A mampus, multitude.
1857 /Gloss. Provincial Words Dorset/ 6 /Mampus/, a great number.
1880 T. Hardy /Trumpet-Major/ I. ii. 32 The mampus of soldiers that have come upon the down.
1904 T. Hardy /Dynasts/ I. ii. iv. 46 What a mampus o’ folk it is here to-day!