Glomp

About

Glomp is a slang term used to describe an aggressive hug preceded by a pounce. Prevalent in manga and anime, the action inspired image macros and reaction GIFs to express love and affection. The term is often associated with the emoticons "UwU" and "OwO," which are typically used as a form of internet baby talk intended to seem innocent and childlike.

Origin

Though the action existed before its online presence, the origin of the action is unknown. The word is likely a derivative of "glom," which means to become attached. The action also existed in American comics since the 80s, becoming a common joke on Calvin and Hobbes (example below).^[4]

TV Tropes^[1] notes that the word may have "have stemmed from its use as a sound effect in early manga translations by Viz Media." The site notes:

The first known appearance of the word "glomp" is in Ranma 1/2 Volume One, Part 12 published in 1993. Ironically, this first use was a sound effect for a Personal Space Invader attack Ranma delivered on Ryoga, in stark contrast to the connotation the word carries today.

Spread

On February 18th, 2003, Urban Dictionary ^[2] user Angelknight dotorg defined the term as "NOT sexual, it is the action of one person lovingly (and dramatically) attacking another with a hug. A glomp is often predatory and lies somewhere in the grey area between a caring embrace and a flying leap to tackle someone.
The term is used extensively in anime culture, as well as online in text form (anime because many anime characters do this often, and online because it is short and descriptive)." The post received more than 6,200 upvotes in less than 20 years (shown below).

On December 1st, 2006, YouTuber metafire shared the video "Ayu Glomp." The post received more than 27,000 views in less than 14 years (shown below).

Throughout the 2000s, the term continued to appear in memes. For example, on May 6th, 2009, DeviantArt ^[3] user AndurilWielder posted a Demotivational Poster that reads "Glomp / Most otakus known no other form of greeting." The post received more than 44,000 views, 410 favorites in less than 12 years (shown below, left). On July 1st, 2009, YouTuber MafiaChickens

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References