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The Tumtum tree is the tree by which the boy rested in the poem Jabberwocky, which appeared in the book Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought --

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.

Carroll offered definitions for many of the words in the poem Jabberwocky, but never described what he meant by Tumtum tree. It is arguable that the nonsense words don't really have or need proper definitions, and it is the sounds of the words, the feelings they invoke and the ideas they suggest which is what is important, therefore, all that matters is what 'Tumtum tree' means to you, as a reader.

However, in his Annotated Alice, Martin Gardner says that "Tum-tum was a common colloquialism in Carroll's day, referring to the sound of a stringed instrument, especially when monotonously strummed," so perhaps this is the inspiration behind the term.

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What tree was in Lewis Carroll's famous nonsense poem The Jabberwocky?

The tree mentioned in Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" is the "vorpal blade" tree, from which the protagonist takes a sword to slay the fearsome Jabberwock creature. The vorpal blade is a weapon used by the hero to defeat the creature in the fantastical world of the poem.


What does 'tumtum' mean in Jabberwocky?

'Tumtum' describes the tree by which the boy stood in the poem Jabberwocky. The first letter is capialised, so it is probably meant to be a type of tree. However, Lewis Carroll did not ever say what he meant by this word so, as readers of the poem, we are free to decide what it means for ourselves.In his book The Annotated Alice, Martin Gardner says, "Tum-tum was a common colloquialism in Carroll's day, referring to the sound of a stringed instrument, especially when monotonously strummed."


What part of speech is manxome?

"Manxome" is not a standard English word or recognized part of speech. It appears to be a nonce word coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem "Jabberwocky" to evoke a sense of unfamiliarity or otherworldliness. In linguistic terms, it could be classified as a lexical innovation or a blend of "man" and "fearsome" to create a unique adjective.


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