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View synonyms for mum

mum

1

[ muhm ]

adjective

  1. silent; not saying a word:

    to keep mum.



interjection

  1. (used to demand immediate silence.)

mum

2
or mumm

[ muhm ]

verb (used without object)

, mummed, mum·ming.
  1. to say “mum”; call for silence.
  2. to act as a mummer.

mum

3

[ muhm ]

mum

4

[ muhm ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

mum

5

[ muhm ]

noun

  1. a strong beer or ale, first made in Brunswick, Germany.

mum

6

[ muhm ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

mum

1

/ mʌm /

noun

  1. an informal word for mother 1


mum

2

/ mʌm /

verb

  1. intr to act in a mummer's play

mum

3

/ mʌm /

adjective

  1. keeping information to oneself; silent

noun

  1. mum's the word
    silence or secrecy is to be observed

mum

4

/ mʌm /

noun

  1. obsolete.
    a type of beer made from cereals, beans, etc

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Word History and Origins

Origin of mum1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English momme; imitative

Origin of mum2

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mommen, verb use of mum 1; compare Middle Dutch mommen ”to act the mummer's part”

Origin of mum3

First recorded in 1890–95; shortened form

Origin of mum4

First recorded in 1815–25; nursery word; mom

Origin of mum5

First recorded in 1630–40; from German Mumme, said to have been named after Christian Mumme, the brewer who made it

Origin of mum6

Variant of ma'am

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Word History and Origins

Origin of mum1

C19: a child's word

Origin of mum2

C16: verbal use of mum ²

Origin of mum3

C14: suggestive of closed lips

Origin of mum4

C17: from German Mumme, perhaps from the name of its original brewer

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. mum's the word, do not reveal what you know (about something); keep silent:

    Mum's the word, or the surprise party won't be a surprise.

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Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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