mull1
/mʌl
/verb [with object]
Think about (something) deeply and at length: she began to mull over the various possibilities...
- That evening, in Downings, the team mulled things over, and finally Dan came up with a suggestion.
- Well, I sat through this entire trial except for a few weeks, and I think that the jury did an excellent job of evaluating the case and mulling it over.
- Autumn, with its cool evenings and time to sit with feet propped on a trusty hamper, is an excellent time to mull ideas and review notes.
Synonyms
ponder, consider, think over/about, reflect on, contemplate, deliberate, turn over in one's mind, chew over, weigh up, consider the pros and cons of, cogitate on, meditate on, muse on, ruminate over/on, brood on, have one's mind on, give some thought to, evaluate, examine, study, review, revolve
archaic pore on
rare cerebrate
Origin
Mid 19th century: of uncertain origin.
Rhymes
mull2
/mʌl/verb [with object] (usually as adjective mulled)
Warm (an alcoholic drink, especially wine or beer) and add sugar and spices to it: a glass of mulled wine...
- We drank some beer, mulled some wine, ate some mince pies, and managed to repair several cigarettes.
- Eight people are huddled around the stove, drinking freshly mulled wine to keep out the chill.
- Saturday 20th December: I will be watching The Muppets' Christmas Carol and drinking mulled wine. It'll be all festive and everything.
Origin
Early 17th century: of unknown origin.
mull3
/mʌl/noun [mass noun]
Humus formed under non-acid conditions.Humus should be of the mull type - ranging from acidic to calcareous, or moder in podsol....
- Those woods with brown forest soils maintained mull humus, probably by virtue of their mixed floristic composition.
Origin
1920s: from Danish muld 'soil'.
mull4
/mʌl/noun [in place names] Scottish
A promontory: the Mull of Kintyre...
- The Mull of Galloway is Scotlands most southerly point and is one of its least known parts.
- The Mull of Kintyre proper is the lump of the peninsula south of Campbeltown, with the lighthouse at Machrihanish on its north west.
Origin
Middle English: compare with Scottish Gaelic maol and Icelandic múli.
mull5
/mʌl/noun [mass noun]
Thin, soft, plain muslin, used in bookbinding for joining the spine of a book to its cover.The point of the needle darts back and forth, teasing the weave of the fine muslin, mull or cotton....
- It is made of a fine mull that is not imported to this country in the piece, and there is a satisfaction in wearing only hand-made garments.
- Connecting cover boards to the mull, rather than directly to the signatures themselves, allows for a strong but flexible backbone.
Origin
Late 17th century: abbreviation, from Hindi malmal.
Mull6
/mʌl/A large island of the Inner Hebrides; chief town, Tobermory. It is separated from the coast of Scotland near Oban by the Sound of Mull.