mud

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Soft, wet earth.

   The children came home covered in mud after playing in the rain.

2. 2
   noun

   Insulting or false remarks, especially between opponents.

   The election turned ugly as both parties threw mud at each other.

3. 3
   verb

   To cover or coat something with mud.

   The workers mudded the walls of the old hut.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Mud probably entered English from German during the Middle Ages. Muddle, recorded in late Middle English, originally meant “to wallow in mud.”

From Middle English mud, mudde, mode, probably a borrowing from Middle Dutch mod, modde or Middle Low German mudde, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *mud-, *mudra- (“mud”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *mū-, *mew- (“moist”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Mudde (“mud”), Middle High German mot (“mud”), Swedish modd (“slush”). Compare also suffixed variants English mother (“vinegar-forming sediment in alcohol”), West Frisian modder (“mud”), Dutch modder (“mud”), German Low German Mudder (“mud”), German Moder (“moldiness, mildew, decay”), Danish mudder (“mud”). Alternative etymology suggests th…

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary