Consisting of or forming into thick, irregular lumps or clusters; also used to describe clumsy or awkward movement.
From clump plus -y (an adjective-forming suffix). The Germanic root 'klumpe' gave rise to 'clump' in Middle English around the 1600s, and the -y suffix was added to create an adjective. The word has maintained its physical description of lumpy texture while also acquiring a metaphorical sense of clumsiness.
The word 'clumpy' is interesting because it works on multiple levels—you can have clumpy peanut butter, clumpy mascara, or a clumpy writing style—and each one means the same thing: things that should be smooth or flow together instead come in chunks. Our brains naturally link the physical sensation with poor quality or lack of refinement.
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