midden
Americannoun
-
-
archaic a dunghill or pile of refuse
-
dialect a dustbin
-
dialect an earth closet
-
-
See kitchen midden
Etymology
Origin of midden
1300–50; Middle English midding < Old Danish mykdyngja, equivalent to myk manure + dyngja pile ( Danish mødding )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Or take a sea kayak tour from Ganges out to Third Sister Island, where you’ll see a large Indigenous shell midden at Chocolate Beach.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 3, 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
One theory archaeologists are knocking about is the trove or artifacts might have been a midden or pit where detritus was tossed.
From Washington Times • Apr. 27, 2019
“A shell heap or shell midden — it’s basically their trash.”
From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2017
They raced toward the midden heap behind the barracks.
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.