mum
/mʌm/ noun, adjective, interjection, verb, proper noun
Forms mums mumming mummed mam mom 'mum mumm
- noun (UK, Ireland, Canada, New England, South Africa, India, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, informal) mother
- noun (chiefly US) A chrysanthemum.
- noun (US, originally Texas) A decoration traditionally made of chrysanthemums and ribbons, worn by girls at high school homecoming celebrations, marked with indicators such as the wearer's name, school, the year, and so on.
- adjective (colloquial or archaic, of a person) Silent.
- adjective (colloquial) Secret.
- interjection stop speaking!, stop talking!, hush!
- verb To act in a pantomime or dumb show.
- verb (transitive, UK, slang, obsolete) To silence.
- noun (obsolete) Silence.
- noun A type of strong beer, originally made in Brunswick, Germany.
- proper noun (informal) One’s mother. “I wish Mum and Dad didn't argue so much.”
Synonyms
Mom Mommy Mother Mummy florist's chrysanthemum florists' chrysanthemum Dendranthema grandifloruom Chrysanthemum morifolium ma mama mamma momma mammy silent
Antonyms
Etymology
Alternative form of mam, or an abbreviation of mummy. Compare mom, mama.
Abbreviation of chrysanthemum.
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”).
From German Mumme.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Silent; not speaking. Thackeray.
- interjection Be silent! Hush! Mum, then, and no more. Shak.
- noun Silence. [R.] Hudibras.
- noun A sort of strong beer, originally made in Brunswick, Germany.
Etymology [Of imitative origin. Cf. Mumble.]
Etymology [G. mummere, fr. Christian Mumme, who first brewed it in 1492.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details