mumn.1int.adj.
/mʌm/, U.S. /məm/ 1. An inarticulate sound made with closed lips, usually as an indication of inability or unwillingness to speak; (in a negative context) the slightest utterance. Scottish in later use. Obsolete.In quot. 1651 still in negative sense but with omission of not a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > other vocal sounds > [noun] > mumming
mumc1400
c1400 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Trin. Cambr. R.3.14) (1960) A. Prol. 89 (MED) Tho miȝtest betere mete myst on maluerne hilles Þanne gete a mom [v.rr. mombe, word] of here mouþ til mony be shewid.
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 641/2 Tyndall neuer brought out yet eyther boke, lefe, or lyne to proue vs..that euer the ceremonies that he calleth now dumme, spake euer in old tyme so much as a mumme.
1586 in D. Calderwood Hist. Kirk Scotl. IV. 532 For there was never a word or mumme in that assemblie layed to your charge.
a1605 (?a1500) London Lickpenny (Harl. 542) l. 31 in Anglia (1898) 20 412 He would not geve me a momme of his mouthe.
1651 W. Lilly Charles I in Monarchy or no Monarchy 109 The Common Councell assembled, but Mum could he get there, for the word, LondonDerry was then fresh in every Mans mouth.
1728 A. Ramsay Poems (1953) II. 44 The Caterpillar was struck dumb, And never answer'd her a Mum.
1768 A. Ross Fortunate Shepherdess i. 31 But wha wad hae you, when ye sit sae dumb, An' never apens your mou' to sae a mum?
1804 W. Tarras Poems 12 Now ilk ane dytes wi' fient a mum.
1897 T. Murray Frae Heather 40 The disconsolate yowie slaed dull frae the knowe, Could scarce raise a mum for her heart was sae fu'.
2.
a. colloquial. Refusal to speak, silence. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > [noun]
stillnessc1050
silencea1225
seld-speech?c1225
taciturnityc1450
retreata1533
mum1555
silentness1573
reticence1603
reticencya1617
reservation1619
parciloquy1656
reserve1659
costiveness1792
incommunicativeness1815
mutism1824
incommunicableness1835
ineloquence1843
incommunicability1855
unspeaking1860
mumchanceness1910
mumchanciness1920
1555 J. Heywood Two Hundred Epigrammes with Thyrde sig. D.iiii Mum hath a grace in the fer more then speche.
1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. ii. 180 Entrust it under solemn vows Of Mum, and Silence, and the Rose.
1890 Pall Mall Gaz. 7 Jan. 1/2 If the policy of ‘mum’ continues.
b. A contest to keep silent. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > [noun] > contest at keeping silent
mum1779
1779 S. Johnson Let. 10 Mar. (1992) III. 155 So, dear Madam, it is a Mumm to see who will speak first.
3. A silent person (cf. later orator Mum n. at orator n. Compounds). Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > [noun] > one who does not speak
silentiary1611
mum1666
mumchance1694
strong silent man1839
taciturnist1887
oystera1910
1666 J. Locke Let. to J. Alford in Gentleman's Mag. (1797) 67 97 I doe not in this advise you to be either a mumbe or morose.
B. int. colloquial.
1. ‘Hush!’, ‘Silence!’, ‘Not a word!’; also used to represent the inarticulate sound described in sense A. 1. Formerly frequently in †mum for that, †no word(s) but mum. Now rare.In quot. a1616 with play on mumbudget int.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > taciturnity [interjection] > silence or do not speak
muma1500
mum's the word1540
mumbudgeta1566
viaa1616
quiet1814
shuddup1940
ciunas1987
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1897–1973) 233 Though thi lyppis be stokyn, yit myght thou say ‘mom’.
1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell sig. D4v Thhere was amonge them no worde then but mum.
1568 U. Fulwell Like wil to Like sig. E iij No more woords but mum & stand a while aside.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear iv. 191 Mum, mum, he that keepes neither crust nor crum, Wearie of all, shall want some. View more context for this quotation
1611 L. Barry Ram-Alley iv. i Will Smalshankes has your daughter no word but mum.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) v. ii. 6 I come to her in white, and cry Mum; she cries Budget, and by that we know one another. View more context for this quotation
1677 J. Leanerd Country Innocence ii. 14 I smell my Landlord: but—no more words but mum.
1687 M. Prior & Earl of Halifax Hind & Panther Transvers'd 7 It has cost me some pains to clear Her Title. Well but Mum for that, Mr. Smith.
1715 J. Vanbrugh tr. F. C. Dancourt Country House ii. 23 What, does she play her Jests upon me too!—but mum, he laughs best that laughs last.
1751 D. Garrick Let. 17 Aug. (1963) I. 172 I shall present you with..new plays without number. But mum! do not even tell this to that deepest of all politicians, James Lacy, Esq.
1774 Debates at Robin Hood Soc. 10 Mack-do-all (aside to Silver Tongue.). Umph—Demure—Chief—Mum (clapping his finger to his mouth).
1815 Woman's Will i. ii, in New Brit. Theatre IV. 47 The reason is obvious—But mum for that.
1825 Lancet 26 Feb. 250/2 Mum was the order of the day, as if their air passages were hermetically sealed.
1892 W. S. Gilbert Mountebanks 1 But, mum! I must be discreet.
2. mum's the word: keep silent, say nothing (as a warning or exhortation). Formerly also †mum is counsel.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > taciturnity [interjection] > silence or do not speak
muma1500
mum's the word1540
mumbudgeta1566
viaa1616
quiet1814
shuddup1940
ciunas1987
1540 J. Palsgrave tr. G. Gnapheus Comedye of Acolastus 16 I dare not to do so moche as put my hande to my mouthe, and saye mum, is counseyle.
1562 J. Heywood Of Mine Acquayntance Certaine Yong Man ii. v, in Wks. I will say nought but mum, and mum is counsell.
1663 T. Porter Witty Combat iv. i Hear me it is no laughing matter mums the word.
a1704 T. Brown Walk round London in 3rd Vol. Wks. (1708) iii. 39 But Mum's the Word—for who wou'd speak their Mind among Tarrs and Commissioners.
1747 B. Hoadly Suspicious Husband iii. ii Mum's the Word, I never blab.
1852 D. M. Mulock Agatha's Husband xxii As to Cornwall,..between you and me, Mrs. Harper, mum's the word.
1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xxvii. 279 We got to jest swaller it, and say noth'n: mum's the word for us.
1965 D. Lodge Brit. Mus. is falling Down viii. 139 Discretion is vital. Mum's the word.
1993 New Yorker 20 Sept. 85/1 Just a case of one rotten apple in the barrel, bung it out, mum's the word, more profits next year, punters happy.
C. adj. (predicative).
colloquial. Strictly silent; mute; not saying a word. Esp. in to keep (also †play) mum: to remain silent, esp. so as not to reveal a secret. Similarly to sit (also stand, etc.) mum.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > [adjective]
unspeakinga1382
speechless1390
mutec1400
dumb1406
silenta1425
peaceablec1425
secretc1440
of few wordsa1500
tongue-tied1529
mum1532
closec1540
strait-laced1546
tongue-dumb1556
incommunicable1568
sparing1568
inconversable1577
retentive1599
wordless1604
mumbudget1622
uncommunicable1628
monastica1631
word-bound1644
on (also upon) the reserve1655
strait-mouthed1664
oyster-like1665
incommunicative1670
mumchance1681
speechless1726
taciturnous1727
tongue-tacked1727
monosyllabic1735
silentish1737
untalkative1739
silentious1749
buttoned-up1767
taciturn1771
close as wax1772
untittletattling1779
reticent1825
voiceless1827
say-nothing1838
unremonstrant1841
still1855
unvocal1858
inexpansive186.
short-tongued1864
non-communicating1865
tight-lipped1876
unworded1886
chup1896
tongue-bound1906
shut-mouthed1936
zip-lipped1943
shtum1958
the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > be silent/refrain from speaking [verb (intransitive)]
to hold one's tonguec897
to keep one's tonguec897
to be (hold oneself) stilla1000
to say littleOE
to hold one's mouthc1175
to shut (also close) one's mouthc1175
to keep (one's) silence?c1225
to hold (also have, keep) one's peacea1275
stillc1330
peacec1395
mum1440
to say neither buff nor baff1481
to keep (also play) mum1532
to charm the tonguec1540
to have (also set, keep) a hatch before the door1546
hush1548
to play (at) mumbudgeta1564
not to say buff to a wolf's shadow1590
to keep a still tongue in one's head1729
to sing small1738
to sew up1785
let that fly stick in (or to) the wall1814
to say (also know) neither buff nor stye1824
to choke back1844
mumchance1854
to keep one's trap shut1899
to choke up1907
to belt up1949
to keep (or stay) shtum1958
shtum1958
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > [adjective] > disposed to secrecy, secretive
dernOE
covert1340
secrec1385
secretc1440
mum1532
closec1540
whist1577
as silent as the grave1613
privatea1625
dark1650
uncommunicating1650
dry1681
uncommunicative1691
unexpansive1847
secretive1853
tight-lipped1876
cagey1909
zip-lipped1943
closet1948
coy1961
tight1977
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 412/2 Yet would he play mumme too, and neyther by himselfe nor his holy spiryte vouchesaufe to speake anye one woorde vnto them.
a1547 J. Redford Moral Play Wit & Sci. (1848) 33 Let us not stay here muet and mum.
1568 V. Skinner tr. R. González de Montes Discouery Inquisition of Spayne f. 10 Whiche fetch of theires, who so will wisely and warely avoyd, muste take heede hee play mumme and speake not one woorde but premeditate..afore hande.
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 950/1 These comming to the Church..would say no prayers, but did sit mumme..lyke beastes.
1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxxii. xx. 820 When the publick cryer calleth you to give your opinions, ye are mum and mute.
1627 J. Mead Let. 15 Apr. in R. F. Williams Birch's Court & Times Charles I (1848) (modernized text) I. 96 Wonder not the great duke bore him out, and all stood mum.
1780 G. A. Stevens Songs in Cabinet of Fancy 13 I have no more to say—to an end I am come; My rhymes are all out, so I'll dance and be mum.
1788 W. Cowper Pity Poor Afr. 5 I pity them [sc. slaves] greatly, but I must be mum, For how could we do without sugar and rum?
1837 J. S. Coyne Queer Subj. i. i. 2 I have a plan now, but..you must keep mum.
1894 S. J. Weyman Under Red Robe i I turned and they met my eye; and they were as mum as mice.
1924 R. Macaulay Orphan Island xxi. 276 We told 'em—that if ever it came out what they'd done they'd certainly be put to death, so you may be sure they'll keep mum about us.
1980 B. Castle Castle Diaries 106 I had my deep doubts but I sat mum.
1999 High Country News 22 Nov. 2/3 I carded her..but I kept who she was mum.
Compounds
† General attributive. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 9. ¶6 The Mum Club (as I am informed) is an Institution of the same Nature, and as great an Enemy to Noise.
1797 T. Park Sonnets 66 Doom'd by more severe mishap, To the mum-penance of La Trappe.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
mumn.2
/mʌm/, U.S. /məm/ colloquial.
a. One's mother; a mother.Mum is chiefly used as a form of address, or preceded by a possessive (as ‘my mum’); it is also used without possessive (e.g., in quot. 2001) in the manner of a proper name, or (in, e.g., quot. 1957) to denote a particular type of working-class mother, who retains a dominating influence on the lives of her children, even when they are adults.The word has a wide geographical spread, although in U.S. usage the equivalent mom n. is more common. Cf. also mam n.1 In Sociology sometimes used to denote a mother who retains a dominating influence on the lives of her children, even when they are adults.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > mother > [noun]
mothereOE
dame?c1225
merea1275
childbearera1382
genitricea1500
mammy1523
dama1547
mama1555
genetrix1561
mam1570
mum?1595
old lady1599
authoressc1603
mam1608
genitress1610
old woman1668
old girl1745
mummy1768
momma1810
madre1815
maw1826
ma1829
marm1835
mater1843
mom1846
mommy1846
maternal1867
motherkins1870
muvver1871
mumsy1876
mamacita1887
mutti1905
birth mother1906
duchess1909
amma1913
momsey1914
mums1915
moms1925
mata1945
baby-mother1966
mama1982
old dear1985
baby-mama1986
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinship group > family > [noun] > family or household > female head
lady of the housec1330
matriarch1606
housemother1822
materfamilias1861
mum1957
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > mother > [noun] > working class
mum1957
?1595 in Notes & Queries (1994) Dec. 454/2 Poore little Moll, poore helples needy mum A fathers & a husbandes hart doth grone In diepe conceipt of your distressed mone.
1653 M. Whitelocke Let. 25 Nov. in R. Spalding Contemp. B. Whitelocke (1990) 442 Samm..sayes dad is gon in the boate to fawly Court H[e]..sees me soe malencholly, he says he will have a new Mum.
1781 J. Moore Let. 12 June (Hampshire Rec. Office: IM44/147/6) 3 [I] conclude by assuring you I remain as usual Your Ever Affectionate Mum.
1823 E. Moor Suffolk Words 242 Where's your mum?
1876 R. M. Jephson He would be Soldier xviii I saw the mum anxiously inquiring of her son who I was.
1912 B. E. Baughan Brown Bread from Colonial Oven vii. 134 You do get fond of a place you've done the settling of yourself, don't you, Mum?
1957 M. Young & P. Willmott Family & Kinship in E. London iii. 34 Where Mum plays so large a part in the lives of her descendants, she should be honoured for what she does.
1960 News Chron. 8 Feb. 3/4 The mums from Manchester and Mitcham..had to listen to the principal's report.
1996 M. Syal Anita & Me (1997) iii. 59 Mum, I'm starved, I am.
2001 C. Glazebrook Madolescents 22 In Mum's room there's a biscuit tin chocker with different perfumes which I bring down for a testing session.
b. Used in place of mother. Esp. in to be mum: = to be mother at mother n.1 Phrases 2c.
ΚΠ
1962 N. Freeling Love in Amsterdam i. 37 ‘I'll be Mum,’ he said, and poured the coffee.
1965 J. Potter Death in Office xv. 147 I did the chores as mum..the tea-tray ploy was one of the standard fitness tests for prospective employees.
1992 M. J. Staples Pearly Queen (BNC) 65 ‘Shall I be mum? Yes, I might as well.’ She poured the tea.
Compounds
mum figure n. a person who embodies the attributes of a mother; = mother figure n. at mother n.1 Compounds 7.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > parent > mother > [noun] > mother figure
mother figure1932
mum figure1959
attachment figure1964
1959 ‘N. Blake’ Widow's Cruise 23 I'm a Mum figure—everyone coughs it up in my lap.
1992 Evening Standard (Nexis) 30 July 40 I suspect that Kate Adie would frighten most men. They would think of Claire Rayner as a Mum figure.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
mumn.3
/mʌm/, U.S. /məm/ Now chiefly historical.
A kind of beer brewed from wheat malt and flavoured with aromatic herbs, originally made at Brunswick (Braunschweig) in Germany.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > ale or beer > beer > [noun] > other kinds of beer
spruce beerc1500
March beer1535
Lubecks beer1608
zythum1608
household beer1616
bottle1622
mumc1623
old beer1626
six1631
four1633
maize beer1663
mum beer1667
vinegar beer1677
wrest-beer1689
nog1693
October1705
October beer1707
ship-beer1707
butt beer1730
starting beer1735
butt1743
peterman1767
seamen's beer1795
chang1800
treacle beer1806
stock beer1826
Iceland beer1828
East India pale ale1835
India pale ale1837
faro1847
she-oak1848
Bass1849
bitter beer1850
bock1856
treble X1856
Burton1861
nettle beer1864
honey beer1867
pivo1873
Lambic1889
steam beer1898
barley-beer1901
gueuze1926
Kriek1936
best1938
rough1946
keg1949
IPA1953
busaa1967
mbege1972
microbrew1985
microbeer1986
yeast-beer-
c1623 Welsh Embassador (1921) 48 Ile pledge it in Ale..Cider..manglum, purr, in hum, mum, Aquam, quaquam, Clarrett or sacum for an english man is a horse that drincks of all waters.
1630 in Catal. Prints: Polit. & Personal Satires (Brit. Mus.) (1870) I. 69 Liquors..As Ruby, water Whore-hound, Cloue on Hum, Hot Nutmeg, faire Angelica, and Mumme.
1639 H. Glapthorne Trag. Albertus Wallenstein iii. iii. sig. Fiiiv I thinke you'r drunk With Lubecks beere or Brunswicks Mum.
1662 S. Pepys Diary 23 June (1970) III. 119 A glass of mum.
1704 T. Baker Act at Oxf. iv. ii. 42 [She] entertains me with a Bottle of dead Mum, and the praises of her dear Spouse, a Subject as barren as herself.
1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery xix. 156 If you put to a Pint of this Ketchup a Pint of Mum, it will taste like foreign Ketchup.
1780 Farmer's Mag. June 185 By the composition of mum, we may guess at the qualities and properties of it.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. xi. 231 A sort of beverage called Mum, a species of fat ale, brewed from wheat and bitter herbs.
1853 W. M. Thackeray Eng. Humourists iii. 119 This boy..exhibited an early fondness and capacity for drinking mum and sack.
1894 Act 57 & 58 Vict. c. 30 §25 The duties of Customs now payable on beer of the descriptions called mum, spruce, or black beer, imported into Great Britain or Ireland.
1952 E. Mittelhölzer Children of Kaywana 136 You live magnificently in your own way—what with your deer and fowl and duck..not to mention your gin and mum and wine.
1975 Country Life 30 Oct. 1129/1 I think about making cider, metheglin and even mum. Mum seems a little outsized in the recipe I have.
Compounds
C1.
a. † mum barrel n. Obsolete† mum-cask n. Obsolete rare
ΚΠ
1683 T. Raynes Let. 28 Feb. in W. Hedges Diary (1888) II. p. cclxxii I sent you by Capt. Heath one mum barril with mangoes.
mum beer n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > ale or beer > beer > [noun] > other kinds of beer
spruce beerc1500
March beer1535
Lubecks beer1608
zythum1608
household beer1616
bottle1622
mumc1623
old beer1626
six1631
four1633
maize beer1663
mum beer1667
vinegar beer1677
wrest-beer1689
nog1693
October1705
October beer1707
ship-beer1707
butt beer1730
starting beer1735
butt1743
peterman1767
seamen's beer1795
chang1800
treacle beer1806
stock beer1826
Iceland beer1828
East India pale ale1835
India pale ale1837
faro1847
she-oak1848
Bass1849
bitter beer1850
bock1856
treble X1856
Burton1861
nettle beer1864
honey beer1867
pivo1873
Lambic1889
steam beer1898
barley-beer1901
gueuze1926
Kriek1936
best1938
rough1946
keg1949
IPA1953
busaa1967
mbege1972
microbrew1985
microbeer1986
yeast-beer-
1667 in M. Wood Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1950) X. 26 Eatch barrell of mum beare, tuo shilling.
1693 in E. Dunbar Social Life Former Days (1865) 1st Ser. 160 To six chopins of mumbire.
1782–3 W. F. Martyn Geogr. Mag. 2 152 German exports to foreign countries are corn, tobacco..mum beer.
1997 G. Cantor in Notes & Rec. Royal Soc. 51 179 Increasingly he entrusted Haistwell with running his business and particularly encouraged him to handle the trade in ‘mum’ beer.
ΚΠ
1693 R. Ames Bacchanalian Sessions 10 The Mum-cask thus silenc'd, the next that pretended, Were Cyder call'd Redstreak with Perry attended.
b. † mum-begotten adj. Obsolete† mum-coloured adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1699 T. Brown Life Erasmus in R. L'Estrange 20 Sel. Colloquies (new ed.) sig. B4v The Modern Dutch Writers, who visit Frankfort Fair once a Year, with two or three Stupid Mum-begotten Dissertations.
ΚΠ
1703 Philos. Trans. 1702–3 (Royal Soc.) 23 1369 This Liquor was Mum-coloured.
C2. † mum-glass n. Obsolete (a) a glass used for drinking mum; (b) slang = the Monument at monument n. 2a.† mum ketchup n. (in quot. in form mum catchup) Obsolete rare a ketchup made with mum.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > containers for drink > drinking vessel > [noun] > glass
glassc888
verrea1382
Venice glass1527
rummer1625
bottle glass1626
Malaga glassa1627
flute1649
flute-glass1668
long glass1680
mum-glass1684
toasting glass1703
wine glass1709
tulip-glass1755
tun-glass1755
water glass1779
tumbler-glass1795
Madeira glass1801
tumbling glass1803
noggin glass1805
champagne glass1815
table glass1815
balloon glass1819
copita1841
firing glass1842
nobbler1842
thimble glass1843
wine1848
liqueur-glass1850
straw-stem1853
pokal1854
goblet1856
mousseline1862
pony glass1862
long-sleever1872
cocktail glass1873
champagne flute1882
yard-glass1882
sleever1896
tea-glass1898
liqueur1907
dock-glass1911
toast-master glass1916
Waterford1916
stem-glass1922
Pilsner glass1923
Amen glass1924
ballon1930
balloon goblet1931
thistle glass1935
snifter1937
balloon1951
shot-glass1955
handle1956
tulip1961
schooner1967
champagne fountain1973
1684 R. Waller tr. Ess. Nat. Exper. Acad. del Cimento 8 A tall Cup in the shape of a Mum-glass.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Mum-glass, the Monument, erected..in Memory of the..Fire 1666.
mum-house n. now historical an establishment at which mum was sold.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > drinking place > [noun] > tavern or public house > beer- or ale-house
alehouselOE
beer-housea1513
change1609
barley-islanda1634
China-alehouse1662
mum-house1662
mug-house1685
purl house1700
porterhouse?1730
beer-cellar1732
kiddleywink1830
beer hall1837
tiddlywink1844
beer-garden1863
brasserie1864
purl-boat1902
bierstube1909
keller1927
bierhaus1930
1662 S. Pepys Diary 28 May (1970) III. 94 Thence we three to the Mum-house at Leaden hall.
1973 C. A. Wilson Food & Drink in Brit. x. 389 Brunswick mum, a heady and potent herbal ale..was retailed at special mum-houses.
ΚΠ
1769 E. Raffald Experienced Eng. House-keeper xv. 317 To make Mum Catchup. To a Quart of old Mum put four Ounces of Anchovies, of Mace, and Nutmegs sliced, one Ounce, of Cloves, and Black Pepper, half an Ounce, boil it 'till it is reduced one Third.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
mumn.4
/mʌm/, U.S. /məm/ colloquial.
= chrysanthemum n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > composite flowers > chrysanthemums
goldOE
buddle?a1350
great daisya1400
white bottlea1400
bigolda1500
maudlin-wort1552
chrysanthemum1578
ox-eyea1637
whiteweed1642
ox-eye daisy1731
moonflower1787
ox-daisy1813
ox-eyed daisy1817
pyrethrum1837
horse-gowan1842
marguerite1847
maudlin daisy1855
moon daisy1855
pompom1861
moon-penny1866
crown daisy1875
Korean chrysanthemum1877
Paris daisy1882
mum1891
Shasta daisy1901
chrysanth1920
penny-daisy1920
Korean1938
Nippon daisy1939
1891 Demorest's Family Mag. Jan. 177/2 Each young lady connoisseur has an ambition to have a ‘mum’ named after her.
1906 E. Œ. Somerville & ‘M. Ross’ Some Irish Yesterdays 167 Have I any original suggestions on, for example, the disbudding of 'Mums? (a term of horrid familiarity that I have seen applied to Chrysanthemums).
1965 J. Philips Black Glass City ii. ii. 62 A basket of bright-colored fall flowers..mums and asters.
1987 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 10 Jan. 48/2 (heading) Plant those 'mums for scent, color and flowers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
mumv.
/mʌm/, U.S. /məm/ 1. intransitive. To utter a faint sound; to speak softly or indistinctly; to whisper; to mutter, mumble. Occasionally †transitive. Chiefly Scottish in later use.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > speak in a particular manner [verb (intransitive)] > whisper
whisperc950
roundOE
tutel?c1225
whistera1382
mumc1390
runka1500
susurr1529
whista1555
susurrate1623
rewhisper1753
cutter1781
whittie-whattie1821
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. vii. 225 (MED) He Mommeþ [v.rr. nempniþ, mouthith] þeose wordes.
a1450 York Plays (1885) 78 And I stande stille..defe and dum, How sall I be withouten blame?.. If þou myght not meke ne mum, I sall þe saffe.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1897–1973) 70 (MED) If thou can nother muf nor mom, I shall sheld the.
1570 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xii. 166 Ȝe dar not mum quhill Saidlar cum To se quhat Ingland sendis.
c1680 Roxburghe Ballads (1887) VI. 370 They dare not mumm, if we say all's our own.
1766 A. Nicol Poems Several Subj. 57 I..naething say, but maunt and mum.
1850 S. Judd Richard Edney ix. 142 Memmy whispered something to Uncle Richard..and Bebby likewise sought his ear, and mummed at it.
1924 L. Coutts Caul' Nor'-East 17 Nae priest shall there be, Tae mum at our bridal.
2. intransitive. To make an inarticulate sound with closed lips, esp. as an indication of inability or unwillingness to speak; (hence) to keep silent. Also with up.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > taciturnity or reticence > be silent/refrain from speaking [verb (intransitive)]
to hold one's tonguec897
to keep one's tonguec897
to be (hold oneself) stilla1000
to say littleOE
to hold one's mouthc1175
to shut (also close) one's mouthc1175
to keep (one's) silence?c1225
to hold (also have, keep) one's peacea1275
stillc1330
peacec1395
mum1440
to say neither buff nor baff1481
to keep (also play) mum1532
to charm the tonguec1540
to have (also set, keep) a hatch before the door1546
hush1548
to play (at) mumbudgeta1564
not to say buff to a wolf's shadow1590
to keep a still tongue in one's head1729
to sing small1738
to sew up1785
let that fly stick in (or to) the wall1814
to say (also know) neither buff nor stye1824
to choke back1844
mumchance1854
to keep one's trap shut1899
to choke up1907
to belt up1949
to keep (or stay) shtum1958
shtum1958
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > other vocal sounds > [verb (intransitive)] > mum
mum1440
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 348 Mummyn, as þey þat noȝt speke, mutio.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Richard III f. xxxijv Whiche thynge yf it had bene trewe..euery goode and naturall childe would have rather mummed at, then to have blasted a broade.
1576 G. Gascoigne Steele Glas (1868) 83 Better mumme, than meddle ouermuch.
1597 H. Gryffyth in R. Parry Sinetes Passions sig. A3v Then Momus mumme, & Zoylus cease, And foule Mouth Theon leaue to raile.
1637 J. Shirley Example iv. ii Jacinta... I may reward your silence. Vainman... And when must I Begin to mum?
1796 R. Jephson Conspiracy Epil. When three weighty words, the price is spoke, Mynheer sinks down again to mum and smoke.
1840 F. Trollope Michael Armstrong II. ii. 41 ‘And what do you think he said, Sir Matthew?’ ‘How the devil should I know?.. Don't stand mumming there, but out with it.’
a1854 R. M. Bird News of Night iii. i, in America's Lost Plays (1941) XII. 163 Take my advice—cut her—cut her acquaintance, and mum.
1950 A. Clarke Plot Succeeds iv. 30 Straws men Who mum at doubtful marriages repaint Their features black.
1996 Los Angeles Mag. (Electronic ed.) Oct. Word is they've mummed up not only out of respect for The Don but because some..want to keep their participation in Simpson's ‘fun’ side out of print.
3. † b. transitive. literary. To dress up (a person) as if for mumming. Obsolete.
a. intransitive. To act in a mime or dumbshow; to perform as a mummer. Also occasionally transitive: to act out (a play, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > mime > mumming > mum [verb (intransitive)]
muma1456
guisard1815
mummer1901
guiser1907
janney1964
a1456 ( J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 698 (MED) A mommynge, whiche þe goldesmythes of þe Cite of London mommed in right fresshe and costele welych desguysing.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 642/1 I mumme in a mummynge, je mumme... Lette us go mumme to nyght in womens apparayle.
1554 Act Merch. Co. in E. Mackenzie Hist. Newcastle (1827) II. 665 (note) [Apprentices are not] to daunse, dyse, carde or mum, or use any gyttirnes.
1606 N. Breton Choice, Chance, & Change sig. G3v After they had masked and mummed, away they went.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. i. x. 73 When a whole People goes mumming and miming.
1892 T. Hardy Pursuit Well-beloved i. ix, in Illustr. London News 15 Oct. 481/3 For months he would find her on the stage of a theatre: then she would flit away, leaving the poor, empty carcase that had lodged her to mumm on as best it could without her.
1900 Ld. Rosebery Napoleon vi. 89 The characters who mum to Offenbach's music.
1928 T. Hardy Winter Words 170 Tragedy, comedy, throngs my page Beyond all mummed on any stage.
2001 Art Jrnl. Spring 100 The mummers wore oversized, wire-constructed costumes and carried little umbrellas as they mummed along.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > providing with clothing > provide with clothing [verb (transitive)] > in specific way > dress up or dress elaborately
disguisec1325
quaintisea1333
guisea1400
to dress up?a1513
deck?1521
garnisha1535
trim1594
gallant1614
sprug1622
dizena1625
to dress out1649
bedizen1661
rig1723
trim1756
bedress1821
gaudy1838
buck up1854
garb1868
clobber1887
mum1890
to do up1897
dude1899
toff1914
lair1941
1890 Fortn. Rev. 53 382 Cecchino could not help wincing a little at the daughter of the house being mummed and painted to represent her own grandmother.
4. transitive. To render mute; to silence.Apparently revived in this sense in late 20th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > loss or lack of voice > deprive of voice [verb (transitive)] > put to silence
to put silence toc1384
to stop (one's own or another's) mouthc1384
to put (a person or thing) to silencea1464
mumc1475
stillc1540
to button up (a person's) lip (also mouth)1601
obacerate1656
bouche1721
to shut up1814
to pipe down1926
to button (a person's) lip (also mouth)1968
c1475 (c1399) Mum & Sothsegger (Cambr. Ll.4.14) (1936) iii. 337 Ho-so pleyned to þe prince þat pees shulde kepe..was..y-mummyd on þe mouthe and manaced to þe deth.
1594 G. Peele Battell of Alcazar sig. A2v Like those that were by kind of murther mumd.
1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot iii. viii. 123 If it were possible they would muzle his mouth; but Gines is mumm'd presently.
1789 G. Parker Life's Painter xiv. 128 Why should you be dubber mumm'd?
1983 F. Adcock Sel. Poems 110 A random arrow smashed into your eye And mummed your tongue-tied mouth for ever.
1997 Commonweal 14 Feb. 19/3 The sad and bitter truth is that injustice has been so embedded that even the ghosts are mummed into silence.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1int.adj.c1400n.2?1595n.3c1623n.41891
v.c1390