Originally Posted By: Faldage
AHD has some interesting comments but for best results, try wordorigins.org.


"Any bumpkin would surely prefer this etymology to the suggestion that bumpkin is a derivative of bum, “the rear end.”"

heh. interestingly (or not), OED2 has three(3) disparate senses for bumkin, :
1) [[f. BOOM n. + -KIN; possibly the Du. boomken may formerly have been used in this special sense. The spelling bumpkin is now more usual.] ‘A short boom projecting from each bow of a ship, to extend the lower edge of the foresail to windward.’
2) a vessel for carrying water
3) [fr. bum + -kin] ‘A burlesque term for the posteriors.’ [quotes per OED2]

this seems to add some backstory to those AHD comments!