Mules

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /mjuːlz/

Definitions

1. A style of shoe designed without a back that usually features a modest heel; an animal hybrid created through the mating of a male donkey and a female horse; a slang term for individuals who transport illicit substances clandestinely, often for profit
2. Footwear open at the heel, typically with a slight heel; the sterile hybrid animal born from a jack and mare; someone who smuggles narcotics on behalf of traffickers
3. A slip-on shoe lacking rear enclosure, often with a low heel; an animal bred by crossing a male donkey with a female horse; an individual employed to secretly transport prohibited substances

Etymology: The most surprising link is a person. John Mules, an Australian sheep farmer, gave his surname to a procedure that removes strips of wool-bearing skin from around a sheep's rear end to reduce the risk of flystrike. The word's surgical sense is simply his name, turned into a common noun. The other senses have separate histories. The shoe comes from Old French "mule", a slipper, which likely descends from Latin "mulleus", a red leather shoe worn by Roman patricians. The animal sense comes from Latin "mulus", whose ultimate origin is uncertain. The sense of a person who carries contraband likely extends the image of a beast of burden hauling heavy loads.

Synonyms: hybrids