tramp

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English

Etymology

From Middle English trampen (“to walk heavily”), from Middle Low German trampen (“to stamp”) (trampeln (“to walk with heavy steps”), see trample), or Middle Dutch trampen (“to stamp”), from Proto-West Germanic *trampan (“to step”). Doublet of tremp.

Cognate to Dutch trampen (“to stamp, kick, step”), dialectal German trampen (“to step, walk, tread”), whence commoner German trampeln (“to trample”). Probably related to trap.

Pronunciation

Noun

tramp (plural tramps)

  2. (sometimes derogatory) A homeless person; a vagabond. [from 1664][1]
    Synonyms: bum, hobo, vagabond; see also Thesaurus:vagabond
    • 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter III (Accessory After the Fact), page 382, column 2:
      [S]he had expected to discover a burglar of one or another accepted type—either a dashing cracksman in full-blown evening dress, lithe, polished, pantherish, or a common yegg, a red-eyed, unshaven, burly brute in the rags and tatters of a tramp.
  3. (derogatory) A disreputable, promiscuous woman; a slut. [from 1922]
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:promiscuous woman
    I can't believe you'd let yourself be seen with that tramp.
    Claudia is such a tramp; making out with all those men when she has a boyfriend.
  4. Any ship which does not have a fixed schedule or published ports of call. [from 1880]
    • 1888, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson; Volume 2, chapter 9:
      I was so happy on board that ship, I could not have believed it possible. We had the beastliest weather, and many discomforts; but the mere fact of its being a tramp-ship gave us many comforts; we could cut about with the men and officers, stay in the wheel-house, discuss all manner of things, and really be a little at sea.
    • 1919, Charles Fort, The Book of the Damned, chapter 10:
      Then I think I conceive of other worlds and vast structures that pass us by, within a few miles, without the slightest desire to communicate, quite as tramp vessels pass many islands without particularizing one from another.
    • 1924, George Sutherland, Texas Transport Terminal Company v. New Orleans: Dissent Brandeis:
      Some of these are regular ocean liners; others are casual tramp ships.
    • 1950 July, J. C. Mertens, “By the "Taurus Express" to Baghdad”, in Railway Magazine, page 435:
      Shipping of every sort, from passenger liners to ferry steamers, tramps to tugs and trailing barges, feluccas to speedboats and yachts, from warships to caiques, chugs, hoots, glides or churns its way in all directions.
    • 1960, Lobsang Rampa, The Rampa Story, chapter Six:
      “Hrrumph,” said the Mate. “Get into uniform right away, we must have discipline here.” With that he stalked off as if he were First Mate on one of the Queens instead of just on a dirty, rusty old tramp ship.
  5. (Australia, New Zealand) A long walk, possibly of more than one day, in a scenic or wilderness area.
    Synonyms: bushwalk, hike, ramble, trek
    • 1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 40:
      I got in with the American Fur Company and set out for another tramp to trade with the Indians on the North and South Platte Rivers.
    • 1968, John W. Allen, It Happened in Southern Illinois, page 75:
      The starting place for the tramp is reached over a gravel road that begins on Route 3 about a mile south of Gorham spur.
    • 2005, Paul Smitz, Australia & New Zealand on a Shoestring, Lonely Planet, page 734:
      Speaking of knockout panoramas, if you′re fit then consider doing the taxing, winding, 8km tramp up Mt Roy (1578m; five to six hours return), start 6km from Wanaka on Mt Aspiring Rd.
    • 2006, Marc Llewellyn, Lee Mylne, Frommer′s Australia from $60 a Day, page 186:
      The 1½-hour tramp passes through banksia, gum, and wattle forests, with spectacular views of peaks and valleys.
  6. Clipping of trampoline, especially a very small one.
  7. (in apposition) Of objects, stray, intrusive and unwanted.
  8. A metal plate worn by diggers under the hollow of the foot to save the shoe.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

Verb

tramp (third-person singular simple present tramps, present participle tramping, simple past and past participle tramped)

  1. To walk with heavy footsteps.
  2. To walk for a long time (usually through difficult terrain).
    We tramped through the woods for hours before we found the main path again.
  3. To hitchhike.
  4. (transitive) To tread upon forcibly and repeatedly; to trample.
  5. (transitive) To travel or wander through.
    to tramp the country
  6. (transitive, Scotland) To cleanse, as clothes, by treading upon them in water.
    • 1842, Catherine Esther Beecher, A Treatise on Domestic Economy:
      Soak them [blankets, etc.], add to the water in which the linens were washed some soap, and also some of the preparation to produce a strong lather; rub or tramp them, then rinse and dry.
  7. (colloquial, intransitive) To scram; begone.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of J. Sheridan Le Fanu to this entry?)
    “Be off—tramp, march, I say,” he exclaimed, in a tone which the poor girl dared not disobey. She left the room, and Edward followed her to the door.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “tramp”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

tramp

  1. imperative of trampe

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

Borrowed from English tramp.

Pronunciation

Noun

tramp m pers

  1. (colloquial) tramp, vagabond (homeless person)
    Synonyms: obieżyświat, powsinoga, wagabunda, wędrowiec, włóczęga, włóczykij

Declension

Declension of tramp
singular plural
nominative tramp trampowie/trampy (deprecative)
genitive trampa trampów
dative trampowi trampom
accusative trampa trampów
instrumental trampem trampami
locative trampie trampach
vocative trampie trampowie/trampy (deprecative)

Derived terms

nouns

Noun

tramp m inan (related adjective trampowy)

  1. tramp steamer (commercial steamship that has no regular schedule or published ports of call)

Declension

Declension of tramp
singular plural
nominative tramp trampy
genitive trampa trampów
dative trampowi trampom
accusative tramp trampy
instrumental trampem trampami
locative trampie trampach
vocative trampie trampy

Derived terms

adjectives
adjectives
nouns

Further reading

  • tramp in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • tramp in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Swedish

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Low German trampen, from Old Saxon *trampan, from Proto-West Germanic *trampan (“to step”).

Noun

tramp n

  1. a tramp ((sound of) a (heavy) step)
  2. (uncountable) tramping ((sound of) (heavy) steps)
    Först då blir lyckan riktigt stor, när trampet hörs av små, små skor. (traditional wedding congratulation telegram)
    At last your luck will be complete, when you hear the tramping of tiny shoes (non-typical example, like in English)
Declension
Declension of tramp
nominative genitive
singular indefinite tramp tramps
definite trampet trampets
plural indefinite tramp tramps
definite trampen trampens

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English tramp (“vagabond”).

Noun

tramp c

  1. a tramp, a cargo ship without fixed routes
Declension
Declension of tramp
nominative genitive
singular indefinite tramp tramps
definite trampen trampens
plural indefinite trampar trampars
definite tramparna tramparnas

References

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