Mum definition | Dictionary.com

mum

1 [muhm]

–adjective

1.	silent; not saying a word: to keep mum.

–interjection

2.	say nothing! be silent!

—Idiom

3.	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.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME momme; imit.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
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mum

2 [muhm]

–verb (used without object), mummed, mum⋅ming.

1.	to say “mum”; call for silence.

2.	to act as a mummer.

Also, mumm.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME mommen, v. use of mum ¹ ; cf. MD mommen to act the mummer's part

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mum

3 [muhm]

–noun

chrysanthemum.

Origin:
shortened form

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mum

4 [muhm]

–noun Chiefly British.

mother.

Origin:
1815–25; nursery word; see mom

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mum

5 [muhm]

–noun

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

Origin:
1630–40; < G Mumme, said to have been named after the brewer who made it

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mum

6 [muhm]

–noun Chiefly British.

madam.

Origin:
var. of ma'am

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mum¹   (mŭm) Pronunciation Key
adj.   Not verbalizing; silent.
interj.   Used as a command to stop speaking.

[Middle English, perhaps imitative of closing one's lips.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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mum² (mŭm) Pronunciation Key
intr.v. mummed, mum·ming, mums

To act or play in a pantomime.
To go merrymaking in a mask or disguise especially during a festival.

[Middle English mummen, from Old French momer, to wear a mask.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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mum³ (mŭm) Pronunciation Key
n. Chiefly British
Mother.

[Short for mummy².]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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mum⁴ (mŭm) Pronunciation Key
n. A chrysanthemum.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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mum⁵ (mŭm) Pronunciation Key
n. A strong beer originally brewed in Brunswick, Germany.

[German Mumme.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
mum (interj.)

1568, from M.E. mum, mom "silent" (1377), imitative of the sound made with closed lips, as indicative of unwillingness or inability to speak. Phrase mum's the word is first recorded 1704.

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mum (n.1)

abbreviation of chrysanthemum, first attested 1924 in the jargon of gardeners.

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mum (n.2)

1823, pet word for "mother," short for mummy. In British sociology, used from 1957 in ref. to "the working class mother as an influence in the lives of her children."

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

mum
adjective
1.	failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to; "the witness remained silent"
noun
1.	of China [syn: florist's chrysanthemum]
2.	informal terms for a mother [syn: ma]
3.	secrecy; "mum's the word"