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Blimp

(blĭmp)

n.
Chiefly British

A pompous, reactionary, ultranationalistic person.

[After Colonel Blimp, a cartoon character invented by David Low (1891-1963).]

Blimpish adj.

blimp

(blĭmp)

1. A nonrigid, buoyant airship.

2. Derogatory An obese person.

v.intr. blimped, blimp·ing, blimps

Slang To become very fat. Often used with out: He's really blimped out since he got that desk job.

[Possibly imitative of the sound made by tapping the finger against the envelope of the airship.]

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blimp

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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