1. A person acting independently, who is uncommitted, undecided, or remaining neutral, particularly in politics: Being newly elected into the Green Party in Germany, Bernd decided to be a mugwump in the beginning, just listening in order to decide later for himself how to vote in the next round.
2. A Republican in 1884 who decided not to support the party ticket: Sally read in her history book that the first time the word mugwump was used was in 1884, when a Republican would not support and vote for the presidential candidate James G. Blain.
3. Etymology: from Algonquian (Natik) mugquomp or mukquomp, "chief, important person, great man".