Link Centre Dictionary

mum

UK/mʌm/ US/mʊm/ very common informal slang uk us
adjective (1) noun (3)

adjective

1.

failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to

  • “the witness remained silent”
Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.
2.
3.

secrecy

  • “mum”

Origin

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”).

Phrases

  • mum's the word

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.