mull over
verb (used without object)
1.
to study or ruminate; ponder.
verb (used with object)
2.
to think about carefully; consider (often followed by over ): to mull over an idea.
3.
to make a mess or failure of.
Synonyms
1. consider, weigh.
1. consider, weigh.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To mull over
Collins
World English Dictionary
mull1 (mʌl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (often foll by over) | |
| to study or ponder | |
| [C19: probably from | |
00:10
Mull over
is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| mull2 (mʌl) | |
| —vb | |
| (tr) to heat (wine, ale, etc) with sugar and spices to make a hot drink | |
| [C17: of unknown origin] | |
| 'mulled2 | |
| —adj | |
| mull3 (mʌl) | |
| —n | |
| a light muslin fabric of soft texture | |
| [C18: earlier mulmull, from Hindi malmal] | |
| mull4 (mʌl) | |
| —n | |
| Compare mor a layer of nonacidic humus formed in well drained and aerated soils | |
| [C20: from Danish muld; see | |
| mull5 (mʌl) | |
| —n | |
| (Scot) a promontory | |
| [C14: related to Gaelic maol, Icelandic múli] | |
| Mull (mʌl) | |
| —n | |
| a mountainous island off the west coast of Scotland, in the Inner Hebrides, separated from the mainland by the Sound of Mull. Chief town: Tobermory. Pop: 2667 (2001). Area: 909 sq km (351 sq miles) | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
mull
"ponder," 1873, perhaps ult. from M.E. mullyn "grind to powder, pulverize," from molle "dust, ashes, rubbish," probably from M.Du. mul "grit, loose earth," related to mill. But Webster's (1879) defined it as "to work steadily without accomplishing much," which may connect it to earlier identical word
in athletics sense of "to botch, muff" (1862). Related: Mulled; mulling.
mull
"sweeten, spice and heat a drink," c.1600, perhaps from Du. mol, a kind of white, sweet beer, or from Flem. molle a kind of beer. Related: Mulled; mulling.
mull
"promontory" (in Scottish place names), late 14c., perhaps from O.N. muli "a jutting crag, projecting ridge (between two valleys)," which probably is identical with muli "snout, muzzle." The O.N. word is related to O.Fris. mula, M.Du. mule, muul, O.H.G. mula, Ger. Maul "muzzle, mouth." Alternative etymology
traces it to Gael. maol "brow of a hill or rock," also "bald," from O.Celt. *mailo-s (cf. Ir. maol, O.Ir. máel, máil, Welsh moel).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
mull over
Ponder, think about, as in She mulled over the offer for some time and then turned it down. [Late 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Nearby Words
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