I. mum 1 S1 W2 /mʌm/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1: Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: ⇨ ↑ mummy 1. ]
[ Sense 2: Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: ⇨ ↑ mum 2 ]
1 . British English mother SYN mom American English
2 . mum’s the word spoken used to tell someone that they must not tell other people about a secret
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ mother a female parent:
My mother and father are both teachers.
▪ mum British English informal , mom American English informal used when talking to your father, or about someone's father:
My mum and dad won’t mind if you want to stay the night.
|
Mom, where’s my sweater?
▪ mummy British English , mommy American English a name for mother, which is used especially by young children or when you are talking to young children:
Where’s Mummy, Abbie?
▪ ma American English old-fashioned used when talking to your mother, or about someone's mother:
Ma stirred the soup on the stove.
▪ mama old-fashioned used when talking to your mother, or about someone's mother:
Mama seldom disagreed with Papa.
▪ stepmother ( also stepmum British English informal , stepmom American English informal ) a woman who is married to your father, who is not your mother but often acts as your parent:
the wicked stepmother in fairy stories
II. mum 2 BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: From the sound made with closed lips ]
keep mum informal to not tell anyone about a secret