mulling

¹ American  

[muhl-ing] / ˈmʌl ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of reflecting or ruminating carefully on something (often followed byover ).

   After reading that book on simplifying life, I’ve been doing some heavy mulling and pondering.

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adjective

1. reflecting or ruminating carefully on something.

   News hound, artist, analyst, or mulling philosopher—all will find this man’s story an unparalleled feast.

mulling ² American  

[muhl-ing] / ˈmʌl ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or process of heating wine, cider, ale, etc., sweetening it, and flavoring it with spices.

   Their gourmet spice blends carry the strong flavor needed for the mulling of wines, ciders, or juices.

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Etymology

Origin of mulling¹

First recorded in 1885–90; mull ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun; mull ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective

Origin of mulling²

mull ² ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Officials have been mulling over a partial sale of the national carrier for years.

From The Wall Street Journal

A sales associate presented it to me and encouraged me to try it on, letting me spend time mulling it over.

From Los Angeles Times

Now, more than a dozen US states are openly mulling plans to redraw voting lines - known as political gerrymandering.

From BBC

After mulling things over, I felt I wanted to change my choice but when I called back I was told by another representative presumably higher up the food chain that this was not so.

From MarketWatch

Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged before Game 2 that he was mulling whether to keep Pages in the lineup.

From Los Angeles Times