Etymology
From Middle English mud, mudde, mode, probably a borrowing from Middle Dutch mod, modde, or Middle Low German mudde, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *mud-, *mudra- (mud), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *mū-, *mew- (moist).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Mudde (mud), Middle High German mot (mud), Swedish modd (slush). Compare also suffixed variants West Frisian modder (mud), Dutch modder (mud), German Low German Mudder (mud), German Moder (moldiness, mildew, decay), English mother (vinegar-forming sediment in alcohol), Danish mudder (mud).
Alternative etymology suggests the Proto-Germanic word is possibly borrowed from a Uralic language (compare e.g. Finnish muta (mud), Northern Sami moÄ‘Ä‘i (mud), from Proto-Uralic *muÄa).
Noun
mud (countable and uncountable, plural muds)
- A mixture of water and soil or fine grained sediment.
- A plaster-like mixture used to texture or smooth drywall.
- Willfully abusive, even slanderous remarks or claims, notably between political opponents.
- The campaign issues got lost in all the mud from both parties.
- (geology) A particle less than 62.5 microns in diameter, following the Wentworth scale.
- Drilling fluid.
Derived terms
- bemud
- black mud
- mudball
- mud bath
- muddy
- mudhole
- mud pie
- mudpuddle
- mudskipper
- mudslide
- mudslinger
- mudslinging
- mudstain
- mud wasp
- mudwort
- mud wrestling
Related terms
- muddle
Verb
mud (third-person singular simple present muds, present participle mudding, simple past and past participle mudded)
- To make muddy or dirty; to apply mud to (something).
- To make turbid.
- To go under the mud, as an eel does.
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here:
