Nearby Words

oomph

[oomf] Origin

oomph

[oomf]
noun Informal.
1.
energy; vitality; enthusiasm.
2.
sex appeal.

Origin:
1935–40, Americanism; imitative of the sound made during exertion, as in lifting a heavy object
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Oomph is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
Collins
World English Dictionary
oomph (ʊmf)
 
n
1.  enthusiasm, vigour, or energy
2.  sex appeal
 
[C20: perhaps imitative of the bellow of a mating bull]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

oomph
"sexual attractiveness," 1937, suggestive of the reaction of someone hit hard in the belly. Ann Sheridan (1939) was the original Hollywood oomph girl.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

oomph definition

[ʊmpf]
  1. n.
    energy; drive and vitality. : Come on, you guys. Let's get some oomph behind it. Push!
  2. n.
    sex appeal. (Euphemistic.) : She had a lot of oomph, but didn't wish to become a movie star.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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