I. ˈməl, dial Brit “ or ˈmu̇l noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English mul, mol, probably from Middle Dutch; akin to Old English myl dust, melu meal — more at meal
1.
a. chiefly dialect Britain : dust : dry mold
b. chiefly dialect Britain : peat
2.
[probably from mull (II) ]
: mixture , mess , muddle
mull of subtly flavored shrimps-of-the-sea heaped on a snowy hillock of rice — Jean Austen
made a mull of things up to now — Maguerite Steen
II. ˈməl verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English mullen, from mul, mol, n.
transitive verb
1. : to grind or mix thoroughly (as in a mortar) : pulverize , crumble , stir
mull a portion of the pigment with the oil — H.J.Wolfe
the alloy, after removal from the amalgamator, was mulled in the palm of the hand — Journal of American Dental Association
mull tobacco in making snuff
2.
a. Britain : to make a mess of : botch , fumble , muff
mull a catch in cricket
b.
(1) : blunt , dull , deaden
walls were red brick, not a bright, brawling color, but sufficient to mull the edge of a bitter day — Audrey Barker
(2) : befuddle , bemuse
pleasantly mulled by the martinis — C.O.Gorham
nerves dulled and mulled by copious wine — Francis Hackett
3. : to consider or talk over the aspects of (as a problem) at length or at leisure : go over in one's mind : ponder
tax experts, mulling how to keep on a pay-as-you-go basis — Time
aides mull a batch of overseas disposal plans — Wall Street Journal
— often used with over
the idea he was mulling over that spring — Virginia D. Dawson & Betty D. Wilson
sat mulling over what she had said — Cortland Fitzsimmons
mulling over a new quilt pattern — Julian Dana
mulled the book over in his mind — Henry Giniger
4. : temper 3e
intransitive verb
1. : meditate , ponder , think
mull about for words that will convey suspicions as well as impressions — Everybody's Magazine
all his talk of mulling and weighing and balancing was vacillation — J.P.Marquand
2. : mess , muddle , dawdle
don't mull over your breakfast — Lionel Shapiro
spend two hours after dinner mulling around with your agent — Niven Busch
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English (Scots) mole, probably from Old Norse mūli projecting crag, snout, muzzle; akin to Old High German mūla, mūl mouth (of an animal), Gothic faur mūl jan to muzzle, Greek myllon lip, Latin mutus mute — more at mute
Scotland : headland , peninsula
the Mull of Galloway
the Mull of Kintyre
IV. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: origin unknown
: to heat, sweeten, and flavor (as wine or cider) with spices
V. noun
( -s )
: a mulled beverage (as wine)
VI.
chiefly Scotland
variant of mill
VII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: by shortening & alteration from mulmul
1. : a soft fine sheer fabric in plain weave made of cotton, silk, or rayon singly or in combination and used with or without special finishes for clothing and in bookbinding
2. : an ointment of high melting point intended to be spread on muslin or mull and used like a plaster
zinc mull
VIII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: German, from Danish muld, from Old Norse mold dust, soil — more at mold
: granular forest humus consisting characteristically of a layer of mixed organic matter and mineral soil merging gradually into the mineral soil beneath — compare duff , mulch
IX. noun
( -s )
Etymology: by shortening
: mullion
X. abbreviation
mullion