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Webster 1913 Edition

Incumbent

In-cum′bent

,
Adj.
[L.
incumbens
,
-entis
, p. pr. of
incumbere
to lie down upon, press upon; pref.
in-
in, on +
cumbere
(in comp.); akin to
cubare
to lie down. See
Incubate
.]
1.
Lying; resting; reclining; recumbent; superimposed; superincumbent.
Two
incumbent
figures, gracefully leaning upon it.
Sir H. Wotton.
To move the
incumbent
load they try.
Addison.
2.
Lying, resting, or imposed, as a duty or obligation; obligatory; always with on or upon.
All men, truly zealous, will perform those good works that are
incumbent
on all Christians.
Sprat.
3.
(Bot.)
Leaning or resting; – said of anthers when lying on the inner side of the filament, or of cotyledons when the radicle lies against the back of one of them.
Gray.
4.
(Zool.)
Bent downwards so that the ends touch, or rest on, something else;
as, the
incumbent
toe of a bird
.

In-cum′bent

,
Noun.
A person who is in present possession of a benefice or of any office.
The
incumbent
lieth at the mercy of his patron.
Swift.

Webster 1828 Edition

Incumbent

INCUM'BENT

,
Adj.
[L. incumbens, incumbo; in and cumbo, to lie down.]
1.
Lying or resting on.
And when to move th'incumbent load they try.
2.
Supported; buoyed up.
And fly incumbent on the dusky air.
3.
Leaning on, or resting against; as incumbent stamens or anthers, in botany.
4.
Lying on, as duty or obligation; imposed and emphatically urging or pressing to performance; indispensable.
All men, truly zealous, will perform those good works which are incumbent on all christians.

INCUM'BENT

,
Noun.
The person who is in present possession of a benefice,or of any office. [It is applied to civil officers as well as to ecclesiastical.]

Definition 2024

incumbent

incumbent

English

Adjective

incumbent ‎(comparative more incumbent, superlative most incumbent)

  1. Imposed on someone as an obligation, especially due to one's office.
    Proper behavior is incumbent on all holders of positions of trust.
    • Sprat
      All men, truly zealous, will perform those good works that are incumbent on all Christians.
  2. Lying; resting; reclining; recumbent.
    • Sir H. Wotton
      two incumbent figures, gracefully leaning upon it
    • Addison
      to move the incumbent load they try
  3. (botany, geology) Resting on something else; in botany, said of anthers when lying on the inner side of the filament, or of cotyledons when the radicle lies against the back of one of them.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Gray to this entry?)
  4. (zoology) Bent downwards so that the ends touch, or rest on, something else.
    the incumbent toe of a bird
  5. Being the current holder of an office or a title.
    If the incumbent senator dies, he is replaced by a person appointed by the governor.

Translations

Derived terms

Noun

incumbent ‎(plural incumbents)

  1. The current holder of an office, such as ecclesiastical benefice or an elected office.
    • 2012, The Economist, 06 Oct 2012 issue, The first presidential debate: Back in the centre, back in the game
      Mr Obama’s problems were partly structural. An incumbent must defend the realities and compromises of government, while a challenger is freer to promise the earth, details to follow. Mr Obama’s odd solution was to play both incumbent and challenger, jumping from a defence of his record to indignation at such ills as over-crowded classrooms and tax breaks for big oil companies.
  2. (business) A holder of a position as supplier to a market or market segment that allows the holder to earn above-normal profits.
    • 2012, The Economist, Sep 29th 2012 issue, Schumpeter: Fixing the capitalist machine
      American capitalism is becoming like its European cousin: established firms with the scale and scope to deal with a growing thicket of regulations are doing well, but new companies are withering on the vine or selling themselves to incumbents.

Translations

See also

Latin

Verb

incumbent

  1. third-person plural future active indicative of incumbō

Etymology

From Middle English, from stem incumbent-, of Medieval Latin incumbēns ‎(“holder of a church position”), from Latin present participle of incumbō ‎(“I lie down upon”).

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