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Volume 32, Number 2—February 2026

Etymologia

Mumps [muhmps]

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Author affiliation: University of Leicester Medical School, Leicester, United Kingdom

Suggested citation for this article

Mumps virus (Orthorubulavirus parotitidis) is a paramyxovirus that causes the infective syndrome commonly known as mumps. Mumps often is characterized by a parotitic warping of facial morphology. In obsolete English, mump referred to an exaggerated facial expression or grimace.

A possible etymologic origin of mumps suggested by the Oxford English Dictionary is the Old French word mommer, which appears to date back to 1263. In the 1400s, that term was used in to mean “play[ing] dice in a mask.” Later kindred words include the Middle Dutch term mommen (to go about in a mask or disguise) and the regional Norwegian word mompe (to chew with a full mouth).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that US mumps cases plummeted by >99% after the mumps vaccination program started in 1967, but mumps cases and outbreaks have increased since 2006. Vaccination coverage for kindergartners during the 2023–24 school year decreased to 92.7% for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine; US kindergartner exemptions from >1 vaccines increased from 3.0% to 3.3%, an uptrend mainly modified by the increase in nonmedical exemptions.

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References

  1. Dictionary  OE. Mump; noun and adjective [cited 2025 Jan 12]. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/mump_n1?tab=meaning_and_use#35472983
  2. Dictionary  OE. Mum [cited 2025 Jan 22]. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/mum_v?tab=etymology#35457321
  3. Dictionary  OE. Mump; verb [cited 2025 Jan 22]. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/mump_v1?tab=etymology#35473046
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mumps cases and outbreaks [cited 2025 Jan 22]. https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/outbreaks/index.html
  5. 5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination coverage and exemptions among kindergartners. SchoolVaxView [cited 2025 Jan 22]. https://www.cdc.gov/schoolvaxview/data/index.html

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Suggested citation for this article: Mohan S, Khan A. Mumps. Emerg Infect Dis. 2026 Feb [date cited]. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3202.240153

DOI: 10.3201/eid3202.240153

Original Publication Date: February 09, 2026

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Table of Contents – Volume 32, Number 2—February 2026

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Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:

Shaan Mohan, University of Leicester Medical School, 15 Lancaster Rd, Leicester LE1 7HA, UK

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Page created: January 21, 2026
Page updated: February 09, 2026
Page reviewed: February 09, 2026
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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