rump

The rump is the fleshy back part of an animal, especially around the hips and tail. You might hear it when people talk about horses, cows, or cuts of meat. It can also mean the small part of a group, party, or army that is left after most of it is gone. For example, someone might write about "the rump of the old government" or "the rump of the army."

So the word can point to a physical rear part or to what remains after a larger whole has been reduced. That second meaning often suggests something smaller and weaker than it once was.

Originally, "rump" referred to the hindquarters of an animal, especially the fleshy area around the hips and near the tail. If you are describing a horse, cow, or similar animal, it means that rear part of the body. This is also where the meat term "rump steak" comes from.

Over time, the word also took on a figurative meaning. It came to describe the part of a group or organization that remains after the main body has been removed, defeated, or broken up. In history and politics, this use is common. Following the English Civil War, for example, the remaining members of the Long Parliament were called the "Rump Parliament," showing that only a reduced part was left.

Today, we still use "rump" this way to describe a small remaining section of something larger, such as a political party, an army, or an empire. In this sense, it usually suggests weakness or loss of power. If someone speaks of "the rump of a political party," they mean the part that still exists after a major split, defeat, or decline.

So the word has two main stories. In its literal sense, it names the rear part of an animal. In its figurative sense, it names what is left of a larger whole. Whether you meet it in farming, history, politics, or food, the idea is either the back part of an animal or the reduced remains of something bigger.