curmudgeon

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• Received-Pronunciation: /kɜːˈmʌdʒ.ən/
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• US: /kɚˈmʌd͡ʒ.ən/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ʌdʒən
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• CMU ARPABET: K ER0 M AH1 JH IH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Numerous folk etymologies exist for this word. An alternative spelling attested in 1600 is cornmudgin, in Holland's translation of Livy, rendering Latin frūmentārius (“corn-merchant”). This has been suggested as the original form of the word, but OED notes that curmudgeon is attested some years before this, concluding that cornmudgin was merely a nonce-word by Holland. The word is attested from the late 1500s in the forms curmudgeon and curmudgen, and during the 17th century in numerous spelling variants, including cormogeon, cormogion, cormoggian, cormudgeon, curmudgion, curmuggion, curmudgin, curr-mudgin, curre-megient.

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: темерут (temerut) — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Czech: bručoun — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Czech: mrzout — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Dutch: iezegrim — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Dutch: kankeraar — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Esperanto: grumblemulo — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Esperanto: grumblulo — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Finnish: äkämys — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Finnish: kääkkä — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• French: bourru — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• French: baderne — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• French: ganache — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• French: rombière — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• German: Griesgram — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• German: Miesepeter — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• German: Spielverderber — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Italian: burbero — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Italian: musone — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Japanese: 意地の悪い人 (ijinowarui hito) — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Korean: 꼰대 (kkondae) — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Macedonian: намќор (namḱor) — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Māori: porokaihākere — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Polish: gbur — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Polish: mruk — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Polish: zrzęda — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Portuguese: rabugento — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Portuguese: casmurro — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Portuguese: caturra — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Russian: грубия́н (grubiján) — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Russian: грубия́нка (grubijánka) — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Russian: старый ворчун (staryj) — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Scots: Archie — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Serbo-Croatian: намћор — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Serbo-Croatian: namćor — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Spanish: testarudo — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Spanish: cascarrabias — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Welsh: cingroen — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Welsh: cerlyn — an ill-tempered stubborn person
• Welsh: gŵr crintach — an ill-tempered stubborn person