mug·wump (m
g
wmp
)
n.
1. A person who acts independently or remains neutral, especially in politics.
2. often Mugwump A Republican who bolted the party in 1884, refusing to support presidential candidate James G. Blaine.
[Massachusett mugguomp, mummugguomp, war leader.]
mugwumper·y n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
