- multipara n. A woman who has given birth two or more times.
- multiplicand n. The number that is or is to be multiplied by another. In
8 x 32, the multiplicand is 32.
- multiversity n. A university that has numerous constituent and affiliated
institutions, such as separate colleges, campuses, and research centers.
- mum1 adj. Not verbalizing; silent. interj. Used as a command to stop speaking.
- mum2 intr.v. 1. To act or play in a pantomime. 2. To go merrymaking a in mask
or disguise especially during a festival. -mummer n.
- mummery n. 1. A performance by mummers. 2. A pretentious or hypocritical show
or ceremony.
- Munchausen syndrome n. A psychological disorder characterized by the repeated
fabrication or causation of disease symptoms or trauma for the purpose of
gaining medical attention or treatment.
- munchies pl.n. Slang 1. Food for snacking. 2. A craving for snack foods. Often
used with the: an attack of the munchies.
- munchkin n. 1. A very small person. 2. Informal A child. 3. Informal A minor
official.
- munificent adj. 1. Very liberal in giving; generous. 2. Show great
generosity: a munificent gift.
- muntin n. 1. A strip of wood or metal separating and holding panes of glass in
a window. 2. A vertical framing member set between two rails in a door or in
paneling.
- murex n. Any of various marine gastropods of the genus Murex common in
tropical seas and having rough spiny shells, especially M. trunculus, the
source of Tyrian purple.
- murine adj. 1. Of or relating to a rodent of the family Muridae or subfamily
Murinae, including rats and mice. 2. Caused, transmitted, or affected by such
a rodent: a murine plague; murine typhus. n. A murine rodent.
- Murphy n. Slang 1. A Murphy game. 2. A potato. [From Murphy, a common Irish
name.]
- Murphy game n. Slang Any of various confidence games often having the services
of a prostitute as a lure and brought off by switching an envelope containing
the victim's cash with an envelope containing scrap papers.
- muscat n. 1. Any of various sweet white grapes used for making wine or
raisins. 2. Muscatel wine.
- musclebound adj. 1. Having inelastic, overdeveloped muscles, usually as the
result of excessive exercise. 2a. Hindered by or as if by overdeveloped
muscles. b. Characterized by inflexibility; rigid.
- Muscovite n. A native or resident of Moscow or Muscovy. adj. Of or relating to
Moscow, Muscovy, or the Muscovites.
- mush1 n. 1. A thick porridge or pudding of cornmeal boiled in water or milk.
2. Something thick, soft, and pulpy. 3. Informal Mawkish sentimentality,
affection, or amorousness. tr.v. To reduce to mush; mash or crush. -mushy adj.
- mush2 v. -intr. To travel over snow with a dogsled. -tr. interj. -musher n.
- muskeg n. A swamp or bog formed by an accumulation of sphagnum moss, leaves,
and decayed matter resembling peat.
- muskellunge n. A large food and game fish, the largest member of the pike
family, found in lakes and rivers of the northern U.S. and southern Canada.
Also called muskie or musky.
- muskmelon n. 1. Any of several varieties of the melon Cucumis melo, such as
the cantaloupe, having fruit characterized by a netted rind and edible flesh
with a musky aroma. 2. The fruit of any of these plants.
- muss tr.v. To make messy or untidy; rumple. n. A state of disorder; a mess.
-mussy adj.
- must2 n. The quality or state of being stale or musty.
- must3 n. The unfermented or fermenting juice expressed from fruit, especially
grapes.
- mustachio n. A mustache, especially a luxuriant one.
- mustard family n. A large family of herbs, the Cruciferae, characterized by
pungent juice and four-petaled flowers arranged in a cross and including
important vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower,
kale, radishes, and watercress.
- musteline adj. Of, relating to, or belonging to the Mustelidae, the family of
fur-bearing mammals that includes the badger, mink, otter, and weasel.
- muster v. -tr. 1. To call (troops) together, as for inspection. 2. To cause to
come together; gather: Bring all the volunteers you can muster. 3. To call
forth; summon up: mustering up her strength for the ordeal. -intr. To assemble
or gather. n. 4. A flock of peacocks.
- [Phrasal Verb] pass muster: To be judged as acceptable.
- muster roll n. 1. The official roll of persons in a military or naval unit. 2.
An inventory; a roster.
- mutatis mutandis adv. Abbr. m.m. The necessary changes having been made;
having substituted new terms; with respective differences taken into
consideration.
- muumuu n. A long loose dress that hangs free from the shoulders.
- muzzle n. 1. The forward, projecting part of the head of certain animals, such
as dogs, including the mouth, nose, and jaws; the snout. 2. A leather or wire
restraining appliance that, when fitted over an animal's snout, prevents
biting and eating. 3. The forward, discharging end of the barrel of a firearm.
4. A restraint on free movement or expression: had a muzzle put on their high
spirits. tr.v.
- myalgia n. Muscular pain or tenderness, especially when diffuse and
nonspecific. --myalgic adj.
- mycosis n. 1. A fungal infection in or on a part of the body. 2. A disease
caused by a fungus.
- myelin n. A white fatty material, composed chiefly of lipids and lipoproteins,
that encloses certain axons and nerve fibers. Also called medulla.
- myeloid adj. 1. Of, relating to, or derived from the bone marrow. 2. Of or
relating to the spinal cord.
- My Lai A village of southern Vietnam where more than 300 unarmed civilians,
including women and children, were massacred by U.S. troops (Mar 1968) during
the Vietnam War.
- myo- or my- pref. Muscle: myocardial infarction.
- myocardium n. The muscular tissue of the heart.
- myope n. One who is affected by myopia.
- myopia n. 1. A visual defect in which distant objects appear blurred because
their images are focused in front of the retina rather than on it.
- myrmeco- pref. Ant: myrmecologist.
- myrmecophile n. An organism, such as a beetle, that habitually shares the nest
of an ant colony.
- mysophobia n. An abnormal fear of dirt or contamination.
