Mum

Definition: Mum

Mum

Adjective

1. Failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to; "the witness remained silent".

Noun

1. Of China.

2. Informal terms for a mother.

3. Secrecy; "mum's the word".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "mum" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1591. (references)

Literature

Slang in 1811

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

MUM

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

Synonyms: Mum

Aphony

Adjective: aphonous, dumb, mute; deafmute, deaf and dumb; mum; tongue-tied; breathless, tongueless, voiceless, speechless, wordless; mute as a fish, mute as a stockfish, mute as a mackerel; silent; (taciturn); muzzled; inarticulate, inaudible.

Taciturnity

Verb: be silent; adj.; keep silence, keep mum; hold one's tongue, hold one's peace, hold one's jaw; not speak.; say nothing, keep one's counsel; seal the lips, close the lips, button the lips, zipper the lips, put a padlock on the lips, put a padlock on the mouth; put a bridle on one's tongue; bite one's tongue, keep one's tongue between one's teeth; make no sign, not let a word escape one; keep a secret; not have a word to say; hush up, hush, lay the finger on the lips, place the finger on the lips; render mute.

Interjection: shush! tush! silence! mum! hush! chut! hist! tut! chup! mum's the word; keep your mouth shut!.

Adjective: silent, mute, mum; silent as a post, silent as a stone, silent as the grave; (still); dumb; unconversable.

Crosswords: Mum

Turkish (candela, candle, candlepower, solid paraffin, wax), Turkmen (wax).

I wasn't strong enough to save you mum. I wasn't strong enough, but I promise I won't fail again (Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones; writing credit: George Lucas)

Bye mum! (Bridget Jones's Diary; writing credit: Helen Fielding)

I wanted to see me Mum. (The Tomorrow People; writing credit: Brian Finch)

Mum won't like it Uncle Arthur (Dad's Army; writing credit: David Croft; Jimmy Perry)

He's been up his mum and his no-legged sister and he thinks he's killed his old man (The Club; writing credit: David Williamson)

Don't stop cooking mum at seven I'm landing (Ain't No Place Like Home; performing artist: Prince)

I call my mum on the phone kind a demanding (Ain't No Place Like Home; performing artist: Prince)

My mum used to put us to bed about nine (Ain't No Place Like Home; performing artist: Prince)

Thinking of my mum and my dad (Ain't No Place Like Home; performing artist: Prince)

It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974)

Your Dog Ate My Lunch Mum (1908)

Hello Mum (1987)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Mum for Hire (Thorndike Large Print Silhouette Series) [LARGE PRINT] (reference)

• Mum to Mum: Moving from Unspoken Questions to Quiet Confidence (reference)

• Your Dad, My Mum (reference)

• Just Don't Make a Scene, Mum! (Fab 5, No. 1) (reference)

  (more book examples)

Theater & Movies

• It Ain't Half Hot Mum (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• To Mum from Aynsley & The Boys (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Consumer Goods

• Bosch MUM 7400UC 700-Watt Stand Mixer/ Solitaire Kitchen Machine (reference)

• Bosch MUZ 4 EB1 Ice Cream Maker for MUM 4 Kitchen Machines (reference)

  (more baby examples; more wireless phone examples; more garden examples; more kitchen examples; more tool examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

A lot of smack-heads have the came supplier. : Their mum. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

No, mum, yer didn't leave no umbrella here : yer must her dropped it somewhar!. Credit: Library of Congress.

Keep mum if you want 'em to bite -- D.B.H. Credit: Library of Congress.

A night session of the "keep mum" committee : will it fall?. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Now, by the holy Mother of our Lord, The citizens are mum, say not a word

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Expressions using "mum": be mum ♦ keep mum ♦ my mum and dad. Additional references.

Beginning with "mum": mum-and-toddler, Mum-chance, Mum-in-law, mum-in-the-mud, Mum-of-one, mum-of-six, Mum-of-three, mum-of-two, Mum-to-be.

Ending with "mum": foster-mum, maxi-mum, young-mum.

Albanian

mama (Ma, mama, mammy), qetësi (calm, calmness, composure, coolness, countenance, dispassion, ease, equanimity, imperturbability, keep quiet, languor, order, peace, placidity, quiescence, quiescency, quiet, quietness, quietude, serenity, shut up, silence, still, stillness, tranquility, tranquillity, unconcern), pastë e butë (mummy), krizantemë (chrysanthemum), gojëkyçur (close-mouthed, dumb, secret). (various references)

Arabic 

‏ماما (mama, mummy), ‏ساكت (silenced, silent), ‏صامت (dumb, mute, noiseless, quiet, silenced, silent, speechless, still, surd, tacit, tight lipped, unvoiced, voiceless, whist, wordless), ‏الأقحوان زهرة الذهب, ‏إلتزم الصمت (hold one's tongue), ‏أم (mama, mammy, mother, mummy, or). (various references)

Bulgarian 

участвувам в пантомима, тихо (hist, hush, inwardly, low, piano, quiet, quietly, silently, soft, sotto voce, soundlessly, stilly), тишина (calm, calmness, quiet, quietness, quietude, serenity, silence, stillness, tranquility), вид силна бира (nog), мълчалив (buttoned up, mute, quiet, secret, secretive, silent, taciturn, tight lipped, tongue tied, uncommunicative, unspoken), мълчи (hush), мама (mama, mamma, mammy, mom, mother, mummy), представям с жестове. (various references)

Chinese 

木乃伊 (Mummies, Mummy). (various references)

Czech

maminka (mama, mom). (various references)

Farsi 

مادر (Matriarch, Mother, Stepmother), سکوت (Calm, Doldrums, Reticence, Silence, Still), ساکت بودن , خاموشی (Silence, Still), شخص خاموش . (various references)

French

maman (mummy), mère (mummy), qui reste silencieux. (various references)

German

mutti (ma, mama, mamma, mom, momma, mommy, mommyUS, mummy), mami (mammy, mommy, mummy), mama (Ma, mam, mama, mamma, mammy, mom, momma, mommy, mommyUS, mummy), still (calm, dormant, hidden, hush, motionless, mumly, placid, quiescent, quiet, quietly, secret, silent, silently, sleeping, still, tacit, tranquil), sich vermummen (disguise, wrap up). (various references)

Greek 

μαμά (mama, mammy, mummy). (various references)

Hebrew 

לשתוק (be silent, hold ones peace, hold one's tongue, keep mum, shut up). (various references)

Hungarian

mama (Ma, mama, mamma, mater, momma, mommy, mother), néma (as still as death, dumb, dummy, mute, quiescent, speechless, unsounded), hallgass (mum's the word!, shut up), elhallgattat valakit, csitt (hush, shush, st.), csendes (calm, low, Pacific, peaceful, quiescent, quiet, restful, sequestered, serene, silent, still, stilly, tranquil, unruffled, whist), anyu (Ma, mam, mammy, mom, mommy, mummy), édesanya (mother). (various references)

Italian

mamma (Ma, mama, mamma, mom, Momma, mother, Mummy). (various references)

Korean 

미라 (Mummies, Mummy). (various references)

Manx

fastagh (cautious in speech, grave, inarticulate, modest, noncommittal, pensive, quiet, secretive, taciturn, tight-lipped, uncommunicative). (various references)

Pig Latin

ummay.(various references)

Portuguese

minha senhora (ma'am, missis, missus), mal pronunciado (inarticulate, tight-lipped), mãezinha (ma, mam, mammy, mom, mommy), mãe (mother, old lady, old woman, venter), pouco claro (abstruse, cramped, hidebound, inarticulate, inexplicit, nebulous, obscure, tight-lipped), indistinto (dim, fuzzy, hazy, inarticulate, incompact, indistinct, lax, misty, nebulous, thick, tight-lipped), inarticulado (inarticulate, thick, tight-lipped), fazer imitações, arremedar (burlesque, imitate, mock, monkey, parody, simulate). (various references)

Romanian

mãmicuţã (mummy), mãmicã (Ma, mamma, mummy), vorba, tãcut (close-lipped, discreet, dumb, mousy, quiet, reserved, silent, silently, still, sullen, tacit, voiceless), tãcere (calm, dumbness, hush, peace, quiet, quietness, silence, still, stillness, tranquillity, voicelessness), sst (hist, hush, mum's the word, sh, silence, st), se gãti (array, doll, perk up, prank, preen, prink oneself up, Spruce), care tace, bere tare şi dulce. (various references)

Russian 

тише (be quiet, silence), крепкое пиво (knock down, stingo), коричневая краска (mummy), молчание (silence), молчаливый (inarticulate, mute, silent, tacit, taciturn, tight lipped, tight-lipped). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

mama (mama, mammy, mom, mother), bez reči (speechless, wordless), ćutljiv (incommunicative, reticent, tight lipped). (various references)

Spanish

mamá (Ma, mama, mamma, mom, Momma, mommy, mother, mummy). (various references)

Swedish

tyst (hush, implicit, in silence, mental reservation, mute, noiseless, quiet, quietly, silence, silent, silently, still, tacit), mamma (ma, mam, mama, mamma, mammy, mom, mommy, mother, mummy). (various references)

Thai

แม่ (mammy, momma, mommy, mother, mummy), นิ่งเงียบ, สวมหน้ากากเล่นตลก. (various references)

Turkish

maske ile oynamak, tatlı bir tür bira, sus (be done, belt up, have done, hush, sh, shush, shut up, shut your gob, shut your trap, tush, whist), sessiz (close-tongued, dumb, hushed, mute, muted, noiseless, nonviolent, non-violent, quiescent, quiet, reserved, reticent, silent, soundless, speechless, still, surd, tacit, taciturn, tuneless, unvoiced, voiceless, without a sound, wordless), kasımpatı (chrysanthemum), hanımefendi (gentlewoman, lady, ladyship, ma'am, Madame, missus, the missis), dilsiz oyunu oynamak, anne (Ma, mam, mama, mamma, mammy, mater, maternal, maw, mom, mother, mummy, old lady, old woman). (various references)

Ukrainian

тс (hark), тихіше (go easy, hush, pax, peace), мовчання (dumbness, hush, silence, whist), мовчазний (broody, dumb, inarticulate, mute, obmutescent, quiescent, reticent, silent, soundless, stilly, tacit, taciturn, tight lipped, uncommunicative, wordless), маскуватися, мама (mama, mamma, mammy, mom, mother, mummy), брати участь у пантомімі, переряджатися. (various references)

Vietnamese 

lặng yên, lặng thinh (mute). (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "mum": mumble, mumbled, mumbler, mumblers, mumbles, mumbling, mumbly, mumm, mummed, mummer, mummeries, mummers, mummery, mummichog, mummichogs, mummied, mummies, mummification, mummifications, mummified, mummifies, mummify, mummifying, mumming, mumms, mummy, mummying, mump, mumped, mumper, mumpers, mumping, mumps, mums, mumu, mumus. (additional references)

Words ending with "mum": cardamum, chrysanthemum, extremum, maximum, mesembryanthemum, minimum, optimum, suboptimum. (additional references)

Words containing "mum": cardamums, chrysanthemums, maximums, mesembryanthemums, minimums, optimums. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Mum" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: eum, gmwu, Kum, mam, mamm, maum, mcu, mdm, memb, memc, memp, mim, mimz, mlm, mmb, mmm, Mmu, Mmuh, momb, momi, momji, momo, morm, mowm, Mpu, mru, mu, mub, muc, muh, muj, muk, mulm, muma, mume, mumf, mumi, Mummm, mumu, mumy, munn, munx, mup, muq, mur, murm, muu, muuu, muv, muw, mux, muy, muz, Mxu, mzm, Naum, Neum, Ngum, numo, numv, numx, Nyum, oum, Umc, Umh, Uml, Ummk, ummm, ummmm, umn, Vmmu, wum, Xmu. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: umm.

-1 letter: mm, mu, um.

+1 letter: mumm, mump, mums, mumu.

+2 letters: dummy, gumma, gummy, imaum, momus, mumms, mummy, mumps, mumus, rummy, summa, tummy, yummy.

+3 letters: amylum, bummed, bummer, chummy, crummy, cummer, cummin, dumdum, gummas, gummed, gummer, hummed, hummer, hummus, imaums, immune, immure, kummel, lummox, magnum, mamluk, maumet, mazuma, medium, mentum, metump, milium, minium, mumble, mumbly, mummed, mummer, mumped, mumper, murmur, museum, mutism, muumuu, omasum, osmium, plummy, pummel, rummer, scummy, slummy, summae, summas, summed, summer, summit, summon, wammus, wampum.