moue

English

WOTD – 14 April 2011

Etymology

Borrowed from French moue, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French moe (“grimace”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Frankish *mauwa (“pout, protruding lip”). Compare mow (“grimace”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /muː/
• Homophone: moo

Noun

moue (plural moues)

1. A pout, especially as expressing mock-annoyance or flirtatiousness. [from 19th c.]
   • 1913, Jack London, The Valley of the Moon:

     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, Hadley Freeman, The Guardian, 2 Feb 2011:

     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”, meaning “to pout”.

Translations

pout

• Finnish: mutristaminen, mutristus (in mock-annoyance); muikistus (in flirtatiousness)
• German: schmollen (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: недовольная грима́са (ru) f (grimása)

Further reading

• “moue”, April 04, 2009 Word of the Day, Merriam-Webster

Anagrams

• meou

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Afrikaans

Noun

moue (plural of mou)

1. sleeves

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French

Etymology

(deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French moue, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French moe (“grimace”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Frankish *mauwa (“pout, protruding lip”). Akin to Middle Dutch mouwe (“protruding lip”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mu/

Noun

moue f (plural moues)

1. pout, moue

Derived terms

• faire la moue

Further reading

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