mull1
- to study or ruminate; ponder.
- to think about carefully; consider (often followed by over): to mull over an idea.
- to make a mess or failure of.
Origin of mull1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for mull on Thesaurus.commull2
- to heat, sweeten, and flavor with spices for drinking, as ale or wine.
Origin of mull2
mull3
- a soft, thin muslin.
Origin of mull3
mull4
- to mix (clay and sand) under a roller for use in preparing a mold.
Origin of mull4
Mull
- an island in the Hebrides, in W Scotland. About 351 sq. mi. (910 sq. km).
Examples from the Web for mulls
Contemporary Examples
I imagine that these are the sort of inquiries Dawkins mulls over at night, maybe with a glass of wine or cup of tea.
This quadrennial “running of the mulls” almost makes you feel sorry for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
A frequently touching domestic drama about an academic Chicago family, it mulls Big Themes: war, faith, heredity.
Grey looks unfazed, but not necessarily dismissive, as she mulls this pronouncement over.
Historical Examples
Abdul-lh the masnaw-writer was another.1148 He was from Jm and was the Mulls sisters son.
The Bbur-nma in EnglishBabur, Emperor of Hindustan
I dun'no' how fur smallpox kin travel—an' it jes' mulls and mulls in ye afore it breaks out—don't it, S'briny?
The Raid Of The GuerillaCharles Egbert Craddock (AKA Mary Noailles Murfree)
These mulls are placed in rows and shut up in separate cupboards, to keep in the dust.
Madapollams, jaconets, and mulls are not in active request, but maintain last week's values.
The Gentleman's Model Letter-writerAnonymous
Mull
- a mountainous island off the west coast of Scotland, in the Inner Hebrides, separated from the mainland by the Sound of Mull . Chief town: Tobermory. Pop: 2667 (2001). Area: 909 sq km (351 sq miles)
mull1
- (tr often foll by over) to study or ponder
Word Origin
mull2
- (tr) to heat (wine, ale, etc) with sugar and spices to make a hot drink
Word Origin
mull3
- a light muslin fabric of soft texture
Word Origin
mull4
- a layer of nonacidic humus formed in well drained and aerated soilsCompare mor
Word Origin
mull5
- Scot a promontory
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for mulls
mull
v.1
"ponder," 1873, perhaps from a figurative use of Middle English mullyn "grind to powder, pulverize," from molle "dust, ashes, rubbish" (c.1300), probably from Middle Dutch mul "grit, loose earth," related to mill (n.1). But Webster's (1879) defined it as "to work steadily without accomplishing much," which may connect it to earlier identical word in athletics sense of "to botch, muff" (1862). Related: Mulled; mulling.
mull
v.2
"sweeten, spice and heat a drink," c.1600, of unknown origin, perhaps from Dutch mol, a kind of white, sweet beer, or from Flemish molle a kind of beer, and related to words for "to soften." Related: Mulled; mulling.
mull
n.
"promontory" (in Scottish place names), late 14c., perhaps from Old Norse muli "a jutting crag, projecting ridge (between two valleys)," which probably is identical with muli "snout, muzzle." The Norse word is related to Old Frisian mula, Middle Dutch mule, muul, Old High German mula, German Maul "muzzle, mouth." Alternative etymology traces it to Gaelic maol "brow of a hill or rock," also "bald," from Old Celtic *mailo-s (cf. Irish maol, Old Irish máel, máil, Welsh moel).