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Mum is an adjective that means keeping quiet. It can also be used by itself to mean Be quiet!

This sense of mum is especially used in the expressions keep mum and mum’s the word.��

In the U.K. and other places, mum is used as a word for mom or madam. It’s also commonly used as a short way of saying chrysanthemum, a type of flower.

Example: Mum’s keeping mum—I can’t get a word out of her!

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. Go ahead—try it. It sounds like mumbling, right? Well, the word mumble is based on the same word.

Most likely, your mum has told you not to mumble. And she’s probably also told you on many occasions to keep quiet, or keep mum. The idea behind the instruction—and the origin of the word—is that the mouth should be closed. Somewhat relatedly, the word for mother in many languages around the world begins with the m sound, which is also made with the mouth closed (and is one of the first sounds babies learn how to make).

When used to mean “madam,” mum is a variation of ����’a��, which is a shortening of madam.

Mum can also be used as a verb meaning to “act as a mummer,” a kind of costumed performer.

What are some other forms related to mum?

• mums (plural noun, as in the flowers)
• mummy (equivalent to mommy)

What are some synonyms for mum?

• quiet
• silent
• shut up
• closemouthed
• tight-lipped
• reserved
• secretive
• chrysanthemum
• madam

What are some words that share a root or word element with mum?��

• mumble

What are some words that often get used in discussing mum?

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• silence
• mother
• mom
• flower

Mum is often used in a critical way to suggest a suspicious silence. It frequently gets used in political contexts.

i tried to keep mum on the lakers so the rest of laker twitter didnt eat me alive. but I can no longer stay silent. the lakers are in trouble .. they’ve been in trouble & vogel is in denial 😩 yeeesh. goodnight

— BrittanyBets (@brittany_bets)

Cool. Mum’s the word. On a related note, when would you like to go thru social media onboarding training, where we learn that @‘ing said studio does in fact counteract the desire of NOT telling them?

I have time before and after lunch on Thursday. Let me know. 🤷‍♂️

— Zachary Levi (@ZacharyLevi)

Try not to revise too much over the weekend. Quality not quantity. Have an early night. See your friends. Call your mum. Go outside. Eat real food.

— Uni of Liverpool Library (@LivUniLibrary)

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Which of the following words is an antonym (opposite) of mum?

A. quiet
B. loud
C. silent