mummery

[ muhm-uh-ree ]

/ ˈmʌm ə ri /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mummery ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural mum·mer·ies.

the performance of mummers.

any performance, ceremony, etc., regarded as absurd, false, or ostentatious.

Nearby words

Origin of mummery

First recorded in 1520–30; mummer + -y³

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

Examples from the Web for mummery

Under his breath he whispered, "Summary that mummery, Mary," and a thin smile fell about his lips while he listened.
Citadel|Algirdas Jonas Budrys
We determined to carry the “Mummery” to the top of the mountain to use while taking observations.
Inca Land|Hiram Bingham
Heyward possessed some knowledge of the mummery practised among the Indians, in the cases of such supposed visitations.
The Last of the Mohicans|James Fenimore Cooper
But he knew very well how it was: it was a miserable piece of mummery that was played only in spite of him.
Caleb Williams|William Godwin

Then he made to take me himself; but I repeated the mummery and his grit went out through his fingers.
The God of His Fathers|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for mummery

mummery

/ (ˈmʌmərɪ) /

noun plural -meries

a performance by mummers

hypocritical or ostentatious ceremony

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 mummery

mummery

1520s, "performance of mumming," from Old French mommerie, from momer (see mummer). Transferred sense of "ridiculous ceremony or ritual" is from 1540s.

mummery

noun, plural mum·mer·ies.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of mummery

Examples from the Web for mummery

British Dictionary definitions for mummery

mummery

noun plural -meries

Word Origin and History for mummery

mummery