Mum's the Word | Phrase Definition, Origin & Examples (2024)

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Mum's the Word | Phrase Definition, Origin & Examples? ›

Say nothing about this, it's a secret, as in Mum's the word on tonight's surprise party. This expression dates from about 1700, but mum, meaning “silence,” is much older. In 2 Henry VI (1:2) Shakespeare wrote, “Seal up your lips, and give no words but mum.”

Mum's the word is a popular English idiom. It is related to an expression used by William Shakespeare, in Henry VI, Part 2. The word "mum" is an alteration of momme, which was used between 1350 and 1400 in Middle English with very close to the same meaning, "be silent; do not reveal".

The phrase 'Mum's The Word' is used when you mean to keep quiet or say nothing. Example of Use: “Please don't tell Mom what I'm getting her for her birthday.” Answer: “Mum's the word!”

In early mumming, the cast would dance or play games in silence – which is where we get 'miming' from – and began to popularise the idea of 'mum' being linked to keeping quiet.

Where does mum come from? Mum in the sense of “silent” comes from the Middle English word momme, which is probably imitative of the sound that a closed mouth makes.

A1 UK informal. (US mom) a mother: I'll ask my mum if I can go. [ as form of address ] Happy birthday, Mum .

Some people refer to their wife, girlfriend, or mother as their old lady. This use could cause offense. He had met his old lady when he was a house painter and she was a secretary.

In many parts of the world, mum is also a nickname for your mother — and it's also a nickname for the flower called a chrysanthemum. The "quiet" meaning of mum comes from Old English, inspired by the "mmm" sound you make when your lips are closed.

“Mother” is the modern-English equivalent of the Old English “modor,” pronounced “moh-dor.” This comes from the Latin word “mater,” pronounced “mah-ter.” I'm sure most of the fine folks reading this could guess as much; does the phrase “Alma Mater” ring any bells? It means “nourishing mother” in good-ole Latin.

'Mum' is often pronounced 'moom' (rhyming with book, not loom) in Northern England because of the accents there, and there are places in the South where it sounds more like 'mam' but they are all in fact saying 'mum' and would write the word as 'mum'.

Why does every culture say mama? ›

In linguistics, mama and papa are considered a special case of false cognates. In many languages of the world, sequences of sounds similar to /mama/ and /papa/ mean "mother" and "father", usually but not always in that order. This is thought to be a coincidence resulting from the process of early language acquisition.

This question may seem simple, but the answer is not as straightforward as you might think. In the United States and Canada, "mom" is the more commonly used term, while in the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world, "mum" is more prevalent.

'Mom' is the more American spelling of the word, while 'Mum' is the more British spelling of the same word. 2. 'Mom' rhymes with some American-sounding words like 'Tom' or 'bomb. '

mum (plural mums) (UK, Ireland, Canada, New England, South Africa, India, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, informal) Mother.

They may call their girlfriend or wife mami. It's pronounced the same as “mommy” and does technically mean “mom” in Spanish, but, in some communities it's common to call women that, either flirting with them or as an affectionate term for their wife or girlfriend. Upvote 18 Downvote Share.

There are many, many dialects both in Britain and in the States and they have various pronunciations of these words. Originally Answered: Why do most British people say 'mum' and most American people say 'mom'? Because vowel sounds change with accent. That's it.

The phrase "word to your mother" is an informal expression that originated in urban and hip-hop culture. It is a way of emphasizing the truthfulness or sincerity of a statement. It is often used to underscore the honesty or authenticity of what someone is saying, akin to saying "I swear" or "I'm telling the truth."

In terms of recorded usage of related words in English, mama is from 1707, mum is from 1823, mummy in this sense from 1839, mommy 1844, momma 1852, and mom 1867. That's when each form was first used in writing that survived to be available for research.

According to The Oxford Dictionary, 'mother' comes from the Old English mōdor, from the Old Germanic moder, and from the Indo-European root mehter, shared also by the Latin mater and Greek mētēr. Indo-European is a reconstructed language, origin for many modern languages.