midden

American  

[mid-n] / ˈmɪd n /

noun

1. a dunghill or refuse heap.

2. kitchen midden.

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midden British  

/ ˈmɪdən /

noun

1. 1. archaic a dunghill or pile of refuse

   2. dialect a dustbin

   3. dialect an earth closet

2. See kitchen midden

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Etymology

Origin of midden

1300–50; Middle English midding < Old Danish mykdyngja, equivalent to myk manure + dyngja pile ( Danish mødding )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

midden

At the next picnic table over, a little girl tipped an oyster back then dropped it on the ground—one more shell for the modern midden.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

So far, none of the tribes he works with has insisted on midden preservation — though that’s a conversation he’d like to intensify in the coming year, as the erosion threat increases.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 28, 2023

Wearing my lovely new walking boots, I suddenly realise I have stumbled on a "midden" - a pungent pile of rhinoceros poo.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2022

In August, Kumeyaay protesters in San Diego found midden soil, evidence of cremated remains of their ancestors, at a construction site.

From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2021

Shifre nudged her angrily, and Hannah began to cluck as the little ones scrambled for the midden pile.

From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen

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