Bumkin

n. [ Boom a beam + -kin. See Bumpkin. ] (Naut.) A projecting beam or boom; as: (a) One projecting from each bow of a vessel, to haul the fore tack to, called a tack bumpkin. (b) One from each quarter, for the main-brace blocks, and called brace bumpkin. (c) A small outrigger over the stern of a boat, to extend the mizzen. [ Written also boomkin. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ The same word as bumkin, which Cotgrave defines thus: “Bumkin, Fr. chicambault, the luffe-block, a long and thick piece of wood, whereunto the fore-sayle and sprit-sayle are fastened, when a ship goes by the winde.” Hence, a clumsy man may easily have been compared to such a block of wood; cf. OD. boomken a little tree. See Boom a pole. ] An awkward, heavy country fellow; a clown; a country lout. “Bashful country bumpkins.” W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]