mum

1 [muhm]
adjective
1.
silent; not saying a word: to keep mum.
interjection
2.
say nothing! be silent!
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; Middle English momme; imitative

Dictionary.com Unabridged

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; Middle English mommen, v. use of mum1; compare Middle Dutch mommen to act the mummer's part

00:10
Mum is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

mum

3 [muhm]

Origin:
shortened form

mum

4 [muhm]
noun Chiefly British.

Origin:
1815–25; nursery word; see mom

mum

5 [muhm]
noun
a strong beer or ale, first made in Brunswick, Germany.

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

mum

6 [muhm]
noun Chiefly British.

Origin:
variant of ma'am

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To mum
Collins
World English Dictionary
mum1 (mʌm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
chiefly (Brit) an informal word for mother
 
[C19: a child's word]

mum2 (mʌm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  keeping information to oneself; silent
 
n
2.  mum's the word silence or secrecy is to be observed
 
[C14: suggestive of closed lips]

mum or mumm3 (mʌm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb , mums, mumming, mummed
(intr) to act in a mummer's play
 
[C16: verbal use of mum²]
 
mumm or mumm3
 
vb
 
[C16: verbal use of mum²]

mum4 (mʌm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
obsolete (Brit) a type of beer made from cereals, beans, etc
 
[C17: from German Mumme, perhaps from the name of its original brewer]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mum
1560s, from M.E. mum, mom "silent" (late 14c.), 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.

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

mum
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."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
If they ask at check-in whether you're willing to get bumped, stay mum.
Staying home to care for mum has taken its toll on him.
Of course, everyone involved is keeping mum about the new product.
They all know where they are, but they're keeping mum.
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