humped

Humped is an adjective or past participle form related to a hump, a rounded protuberance or raised curve. It describes something that possesses a hump or has been given a humped shape, and it can also function as the past tense of the verb hump in standard usage. The noun hump itself refers to the protrusion or low ridge on a surface, animal, or landscape.

In biological and anatomical contexts, humps are best known on camels, which have prominent humps on their backs. The camel’s humps store fat, an adaptation that helps the animal survive in arid environments; the humps can shrink when fat stores are depleted. In humans, the term humped or “humpback” is used to describe a pronounced backward curvature of the upper spine, a condition medically referred to as thoracic kyphosis. Such curvature can be congenital, develop with age, or result from certain medical conditions, and it can affect posture and mobility.

In everyday usage, the word appears in phrases describing objects or features with a raised shape, such as speed humps or speed bumps installed on roads to slow traffic. The term can also appear in geological or topographical descriptions of landscapes that show rounded elevations.

Slang usage exists as well: in informal contexts, to hump can mean to engage in sexual activity. This sense is distinct from the more general meaning related to forming or bearing a hump and is highly context-dependent.