moue

English

WOTD – 14 April 2011

Etymology

Borrowed from French moue, from Old French moe (“grimace”), from Frankish *mauwa (“pout, protruding lip”). Doublet of mow ("grimace").

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /muː/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -uː
• Homophone: moo

Noun

moue (plural moues)

1. A pout, especially as expressing mock-annoyance or flirtatiousness. [from 19th c.]
   • 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 23, in The History of Pendennis. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:

     [S]he looked at her face and made a moue in the glass; and never stopped for Laura’s answer to the questions which she had put.

   • 1913, Jack London, chapter VI, in The Valley of the Moon, Book I:

     She glanced aside to the rim of the looking-glass where his photograph was wedged, shuddered, and made a moue of distaste.

   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter VIII:

     She made what I believe, though I wouldn't swear to it, is called a moue. Putting the lips together and shoving them out, if you know what I mean. The impression I got was that she was disappointed in Bertram, having expected better things […] .

   • 2011 February 2, Hadley Freeman, “Should Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton be patriotic about designers?”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Why do you wear European clothes?" fumed Oscar de la Renta with a moue of disapproval and stamp of his bejewelled foot (probably).

Usage notes

Often used in the phrase “make a moue”, influenced by French faire la moue (“to pout”).

Translations

pout — see also pout

• Bulgarian: мусене (bg) n (musene), цупене (bg) n (cupene)
• Finnish: mutristaminen, mutristus (in mock-annoyance); muikistus (in flirtatiousness)
• German: Schmollmund (de) m
• Russian: недовольная грима́са (ru) f (grimása)

Further reading

• “moue”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

• meou

Afrikaans

Noun

moue

1. plural of mou

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French moue, from Old French moe (“grimace”), from Frankish *mauwa (“pout, protruding lip”). Akin to Middle Dutch mouwe (“protruding lip”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mu/
• Homophones: mou, moud, mouds, moues, mous, moût, moûts

Noun

moue f (plural moues)

1. pout, moue
   • 1999, Anna Gavalda, “Ambre”, in Je voudrais que quelqu'un m'attende quelque part, →ISBN:

     – Et mon cœur ? Elle m’a souri et s’est penchée au-dessus de la table. — Il n’est pas déglingué, ton cœur ? elle a répondu avec une petite moue qui doute.

     ‘What about my heart?’ She smiled at me and leant over the table. ‘Isn't your heart worn out?’ she replied, with a little doubtful pout.

Derived terms

• faire la moue

Further reading

• “moue”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.