mull

[muhl]

verb (used without object)

to study or ruminate; ponder.

verb (used with object)

to think about carefully; consider (often followed by over): to mull over an idea.

to make a mess or failure of.

Origin of mull

1815–25; perhaps identical with dial. mull to crumble, pulverize; see mull⁴

Synonyms for mull

1. consider, weigh.

mull

[muhl]

verb (used with object)

to heat, sweeten, and flavor with spices for drinking, as ale or wine.

Origin of mull

First recorded in 1610–20; origin uncertain

mull

[muhl]

noun

a soft, thin muslin.

Origin of mull

1790–1800; earlier mulmul < Hindi malmal

mull

⁴

[muhl]

verb (used with object) Metallurgy.

to mix (clay and sand) under a roller for use in preparing a mold.

Origin of mull

⁴

1400–50; compare dial.: to crumble, pulverize, Middle English mollen, mullen, orig., to moisten, soften by wetting; see moil

Mull

[muhl]

noun

an island in the Hebrides, in W Scotland. About 351 sq. mi. (910 sq. km).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mulls

contemplate, ponder, weigh, examine, deliberate, delay, consider, figure, linger, study, moon, procrastinate, reflect, meditate, chaw, revolve, ruminate, review, woolgather

Examples from the Web for mulls

Contemporary Examples of mulls

I imagine that these are the sort of inquiries Dawkins mulls over at night, maybe with a glass of wine or cup of tea.
Richard Dawkins May Be a Christian in Disguise, Even to Himself
Joshua DuBois
November 3, 2013
This quadrennial “running of the mulls” almost makes you feel sorry for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
Matt Latimer: Why I Hate Town Halls and Undecided Voters
Matt Latimer
October 16, 2012
A frequently touching domestic drama about an academic Chicago family, it mulls Big Themes: war, faith, heredity.
The Squid and the Whale of a Book
Taylor Antrim
June 14, 2009
Grey looks unfazed, but not necessarily dismissive, as she mulls this pronouncement over.
From Porn to the Multiplex
Glenn Kenny
May 14, 2009

Historical Examples of mulls

Abdul-lh the masnaw-writer was another.1148 He was from Jm and was the Mulls sisters son.
The Bbur-nma in English
Babur, 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 Guerilla
Charles Egbert Craddock (AKA Mary Noailles Murfree)
These mulls are placed in rows and shut up in separate cupboards, to keep in the dust.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce
E. R. Billings.
Madapollams, jaconets, and mulls are not in active request, but maintain last week's values.
The Gentleman's Model Letter-writer
Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for mulls

Mull

noun

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)

mull

verb

(tr often foll by over) to study or ponder

Word Origin for mull

C19: probably from muddle

mull

verb

(tr) to heat (wine, ale, etc) with sugar and spices to make a hot drink

Derived Formsmulled, adjective

Word Origin for mull

C17: of unknown origin

mull

noun

a light muslin fabric of soft texture

Word Origin for mull

C18: earlier mulmull, from Hindi malmal

mull

⁴

noun

a layer of nonacidic humus formed in well drained and aerated soilsCompare mor

Word Origin for mull

C20: from Danish muld; see mould ³

mull

⁵

noun

Scot a promontory

Word Origin for mull

C14: related to Gaelic maol, Icelandic múli

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

"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).