mum

Less common meanings

4. 4
   nounobsoleteuncountable

   Silence, or the state of keeping quiet.

   Note

   Older English could name silence itself with this word, and even swear vows of it: Samuel Butler's Hudibras speaks of “solemn Vows / Of Mum and Silence.” The noun is obsolete and takes no plural; what survives is the adjective for keeping quiet, as in staying mum. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

   • Mum historically meant silence as an uncountable noun, now obsolete. en.wiktionary.org
   • Samuel Butler wrote Hudibras. gutenberg.org
   • Hudibras contains the quoted wording about vows of silence. en.wiktionary.org
   • The obsolete noun is uncountable and therefore has no ordinary plural. en.wiktionary.org
5. 5
   school event decorationnounUScountable

   A large decoration, now usually an artificial flower with ribbons, traditionally worn by girls at high-school homecoming.

   By the homecoming kickoff, nearly every girl in the student section had a mum pinned to her shirt, ribbons trailing.

   Her grandmother saved every mum from her high school years, the faded ribbons still showing her name and class year.

   Note

   The name outlived the flower: the decoration was called after the chrysanthemum it was first made from, and it kept the name once silk and ribbon took over. The custom grew especially elaborate in Texas and has since reached high schools in other parts of the United States, so the word can puzzle readers who never had a homecoming of their own. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

   • The decoration's name derives from chrysanthemum. en.wiktionary.org
   • The decorations originally used real chrysanthemums. knowitall.org
   • The name survived the replacement of real flowers by silk flowers and elaborate ribbon decorations. mumentousbook.com
   • The broader homecoming mum tradition predates its elaborate Texas form; Baylor identifies its beginnings in Missouri. www2.baylor.edu
   • Texas-style mums have spread to high schools elsewhere in the United States. mumentousbook.com
6. 6
   interjection

   Used to tell someone to stop talking or to say no more.

   Mum, then, and no more.

   1610, William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”

   Note

   The order works as a whole sentence of one syllable, and it can also warn that someone who should not overhear is near: in Melville's Moby-Dick a speaker breaks off with “But, mum; he comes this way.” Shakespeare's The Tempest has the plainer “Mum, then, and no more.” Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Mum has one syllable. en.wiktionary.org
   • Herman Melville's Moby-Dick contains the exact quotation; Stubb says it to Flask as Ahab approaches. gutenberg.org
   • William Shakespeare's The Tempest contains the exact quotation, spoken by Stephano to Trinculo in Act III, scene ii. gutenberg.org
7. 7
   polite addressnoundated

   Dated spelling of ma'am: a polite word for addressing a woman, especially as used by servants.

   "Will that be all, mum?" the cook asked her employer before going back down to the kitchen.

   "A telegruff message, mum, for Mr. William," said the maid, looking at her mistress with eyes opened wide, as she handed the important bit of paper to her master.

   1865, Anthony Trollope, “William Belton Does Not Go Out Hunting”

   Note

   The spelling catches ma'am, itself a contraction of madam, the way working people and children said it. Dickens gives it to Mr. Weller, Trollope to a maid bringing a “telegruff message,” Mark Twain to a boy pressed for his real name. Beside the word for mother it can mislead: the speaker is politely addressing a woman, not a parent. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 7 facts

   • Mum is a spelling variant of ma'am. en.wiktionary.org
   • Ma'am is a contraction of madam. en.wiktionary.org
   • The spelling represents speech attributed to working people. gutenberg.org
   • Dickens gives mum to Mr. Weller, in Master Humphrey's Clock. gutenberg.org
   • Trollope gives mum to a maid announcing a telegruff message, in The Belton Estate. gutenberg.org
   • Twain gives mum to a boy questioned about his real name: Huck in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, chapter XI. gutenberg.org
   • This sense addresses a woman rather than identifying her as the speaker's mother. en.wiktionary.org
8. 8
   verbobsoleteUKtransitive

   To make someone or something silent.

   "Well, Sal, you mum your dubber pretty generally, but when you do slacken your glib you may as well do it civilly."

   1857, Hidden Links; Or the Schoolfellows. A Tale

   Note

   Old British slang turned silence into a transitive verb: you mum a person, or your own mouth. Hidden Links; Or the Schoolfellows (1857) has “you mum your dubber pretty generally,” keeping quiet in the slang of the day, set against “slacken your glib” for speaking up. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • Mum was a British slang transitive verb meaning to silence someone or something. en.wiktionary.org
   • Hidden Links; Or the Schoolfellows was first published in 1857. victorianresearch.org
   • The novel contains both quoted expressions in the same speech. en.wiktionary.org
   • Mum your dubber means to keep quiet. gutenberg.org
9. 9
   verbrare

   To perform as an actor in a pantomime or a dumb show.
10. 10
    noun

    A kind of strong beer that was first brewed in Brunswick, Germany.

    The clamorous crowd is hushed with mugs of mum.

    1728, [Alexander Pope], The Dunciad