Link Centre Dictionary

vamp

US/væmp/ uncommon informal obsolete slang uk us
noun (3) verb (4)

noun

1.
2.
3.

piece of leather forming the front part of the upper of a shoe

verb

1.

make up

  • “vamp up an excuse for not attending the meeting”
Synonyms
2.

piece (something old) with a new part

  • “vamp up an old speech”
Synonyms
3.
4.

provide (a shoe) with a new vamp

  • “revamp my old boots”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English vaumpe, vaum-pei, vampe (“covering for the foot, perhaps a slipper or understocking; upper of a boot or shoe”), or from Anglo-Norman vampe, *vaumpé (“part of a stocking covering the top of the foot”), from Old French avantpied, avantpiet, variants of avantpié, from avant (“in front”) + pié (“foot”). Noun senses 2 and 3 (“a patch; something patched up or improvised”) appear to have been extended from sense 1 (“top part of a boot or shoe”). Sense 4 (“repeated and often improvised musical accompaniment”) was probably derived from sense 3, and sense 5 (“activity to fill or stall for time”) from sense 4. The verb senses were derived from the noun. Compare also Middle English vaum-peien (“(uncertain) to repair (footwear) with a new upper or vamp; to fabricate an upper or vamp”).

Phrases

  • baby vamp
  • promiscuous woman
  • vamp trap
  • vamp up

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.