Georgian · word · noun
Bunkum
BUNK-um /ˈbʌŋkəm/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recordedby 1828
First, speech-making aimed at impressing voters back home rather than persuading anyone ('talking to Buncombe'). By the usual story, a North Carolina congressman, Felix Walker, insisted during the 1820 Missouri debate on speaking 'for Buncombe', his home county. It soon broadened to mean any nonsense or claptrap, and gave us 'bunk' and 'debunk'.
Where it was first recorded
Niles' Register, 1828, per Green's Dictionary of Slang; Merriam-Webster's first known use is 1838.
Also spelled: buncombe, bunk (short form, 1900)
In its own time
‘Talking to Bunkum!’ This is an old and common saying at Washington, when a member of congress is making one of those hum-drum and unlistened to ‘long talks’ which have lately become so fashionable
Today
Modern exampleThe ad's claim that the cream 'reverses ageing' is total bunkum.
Fine to use; a lively, slightly old-fashioned word for nonsense.
Questions
What does bunkum mean?
First, speech-making aimed at impressing voters back home rather than persuading anyone ('talking to Buncombe'). By the usual story, a North Carolina congressman, Felix Walker, insisted during the 1820 Missouri debate on speaking 'for Buncombe', his home county. It soon broadened to mean any nonsense or claptrap, and gave us 'bunk' and 'debunk'.
When was bunkum first used?
It is first recorded by 1828 — Niles' Register, 1828, per Green's Dictionary of Slang; Merriam-Webster's first known use is 1838.
Can you still use bunkum today?
Fine to use; a lively, slightly old-fashioned word for nonsense.
Sources
- bunkum, n. — Green's Dictionary of Slang
- bunk (n.2) / buncombe — Online Etymology Dictionary
- bunkum — Merriam-Webster
- bunkum — Wiktionary
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above