Rumple

Rumple is a verb meaning to wrinkle, crease, or crumple the surface of something, especially fabric, paper, or hair. It is used to describe making something look untidy by folding, bending, or compressing it, or the resulting disorder. The texture or appearance described as rumpled is often pliable, soft, and uneven.

As a transitive verb, rumple commonly takes a direct object: she rumpled the map to stuff it into her pocket; the breeze rumpled his hair. In everyday usage, the past participle "rumpled" is frequently used as an adjective: a rumpled shirt, a rumpled bed. The word can also be extended metaphorically to describe disordered situations or plans.

As a noun, rumple is far less common but may be used to refer to a small wrinkle or crease in fabric or paper, though such usage is rare and often replaced by more common terms like wrinkle or crease. The primary usage remains the verb or the adjectival form "rumpled."

Etymology is uncertain; the verb dates to at least the 16th century in English, with roots likely in earlier dialect forms related to wrinkling or folding, but no definitive origin is agreed upon in standard references.

See also: wrinkle, crease, crumple, dishevel.