Mud

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /mʌd/

Definitions

1. A wet, soft mixture of water and earth that sticks to surfaces and becomes firm when dried
2. A soft, amorphous substance made from water and soil that can create a sticky texture when wet and hardens as it dries
3. A pliable blend of earth and moisture that adheres to various surfaces and solidifies when exposed to air

Etymology: Mud is one of those words whose ancestry is genuinely uncertain. Its Old English relatives, which date to the early medieval period, were "mudde" and "mode," and the Germanic family includes Dutch "modder," German "Moder" (which also meant mildew and decay), and Swedish "modd" (slush). Scholars have long linked these to an ancient root meaning "moist," which fits a substance that is essentially wet earth. There is a rival idea that the Germanic word may have been borrowed from an unrelated, non-Indo-European language. The strongest comparisons come from the Uralic family: Finnish "muta" means mud, and Northern Sami "mođđi" carries the same sense. A Proto-Uralic root "*muďa," meaning earth or ground, is proposed as the common source. Neither explanation is settled, so the origin of mud remains an open question.

Synonyms: sludge, mire, clay, dirt, soil

Antonyms: dryness, cleanliness