mum
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See also: Mum
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Alternative form of mam, or an abbreviation of mummy. Compare mom, mama.
Noun[edit]
mum (plural mums)
- (Britain, Australia, New England, Canada, informal) Mother.
- 1993, Hilda Hollingsworth, Places of Greater Safety, Zenobia Press edition, page 278,
- 'Ooh Mum, Auntie don′t allow smokin’ - Pat′s eyes were round with awe as Mum struck a match.
- 2004, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen, Irene Dunlap, Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul 2, page 336,
- Her mum says that she is deaf and only partially sighted, so I need to go and stand in front of her, so she can see the gift.
- 2006, Kathryn Lasky, Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Book 11: To Be a King, page 88,
- “Mum! Mum!” he shouted out. The laughter stopped. Two bright, sparkling yellow eyes peeped from the hollow. Atop her head were the fluffy ear tufts that his mum was so proud of because they were fuller and lovelier than those of most Great Horned Owls. It was indeed his mum!
- 2011, Chyna, FAM: Rolling in a London Girl Gang, unnumbered page,
- He′s looking at my mum, at her swollen eyes, busted nose and bloodied lips. She′s mashed up something chronic, and the man who did this to her is my dad.
- 1993, Hilda Hollingsworth, Places of Greater Safety, Zenobia Press edition, page 278,
- (dated, colloquial) ma'am; a term of respect for an older woman.
- 1840, Charles Dickens, Master Humphrey's Clock, Volume 1, 1851, page 130,
- “Wy, mum,” said Mr. Weller, “I don′t think you′ll see a many sich, and that′s the truth. But if my son Samivel vould give me my vay, mum, and dis-pense with his—might I wenter to say the vurd?”
- “What word Mr Weller?” said the housekeeper, blushing slightly.
- “Petticuts, mum,” returned that gentleman, laying his had upon the garments of his grandson. “If my son Samivel vould only dis-pense vith these here, you′d see sich a alteration in his appearance, as the imagination can′t depicter!”
- 1885, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 2011, unnumbered page,
- Then she took off the hank and looked me straight in the face, and very pleasant, and says:
- “Come, now, what′s your real name?
- “Wh — what, mum?”
- “What′s your real name? Is it Bill, or Tom, or Bob? — Or what is it?”
- 1840, Charles Dickens, Master Humphrey's Clock, Volume 1, 1851, page 130,
Usage notes[edit]
Mum is only capitalized when used as a proper noun:
- I don't think Mum will like you.
- I don't think my mum will like you.
- In New England, the word may still be spelt "mom", but it will have the pronunciation of "mum".
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:mother
Translations[edit]
mother (informal, familiar)
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Etymology 2[edit]
Abbreviation of chrysanthemum.
Noun[edit]
mum (plural mums)
Etymology 3[edit]
From Middle English mum or mom (“silent”), reminiscent of the sound made when gagged or with a hand over one's mouth. Perhaps related to dated German Mumme (“mask”).
Alternative forms[edit]
- (verb): mumm (archaic)
Adjective[edit]
mum (not comparable)
- (colloquial) Silent.
- c. 1593, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene vii]:
- The citizens are mum, and speak not a word.
- (colloquial) Secret.
Derived terms[edit]
Interjection[edit]
mum!
- stop speaking!, stop talking!, hush!
- 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene ii]:
- Mum, then, and no more.
- 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 31, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, OCLC 57395299, page 143:
- Ahab has that that’s bloody on his mind. But, mum; he comes this way.
Verb[edit]
mum (third-person singular simple present mums, present participle mumming, simple past and past participle mummed)
Noun[edit]
mum (uncountable)
- (obsolete) silence
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Hudibras to this entry?)
Etymology 4[edit]
German Mumme, named after Christian Mumme, who first brewed it in 1492.
Noun[edit]
mum (uncountable)
- A sort of strong beer, originally made in Brunswick, Germany.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Addison to this entry?)
- 1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify |book=1 to 3)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. In Three Books, Dublin; London: Reprinted for A. Dodd, OCLC 1033416756:
- The clamorous crowd is hushed with mugs of mum.
Anagrams[edit]
Abinomn[edit]
Noun[edit]
mum
Forak[edit]
Noun[edit]
mum
Further reading[edit]
- John Carter, Katie Carter, John Grummitt, Bonnie MacKenzie, Janell Masters, A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Mur Village Vernaculars (2012)
Turkish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
mum (definite accusative mumu, plural mumlar)
Declension[edit]
Inflection | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nominative | mum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Definite accusative | mumu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Singular | Plural | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nominative | mum | mumlar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Definite accusative | mumu | mumları | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dative | muma | mumlara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locative | mumda | mumlarda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ablative | mumdan | mumlardan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genitive | mumun | mumların | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Derived terms[edit]
Zazaki[edit]
Noun[edit]
mum
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