Moving heavily and clumsily; slow and ponderous in motion.
From 'lumber' (to move heavily), possibly from Scandinavian sources or from 'loin' in the sense of 'heaviness.' Also refers to the timber industry, which uses the same root.
Lumbering describes both the slow movement of heavy creatures AND the timber industry—because both involve heavy, slow work! An elephant lumbers just like loggers lumbering through a forest with their logs.
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