Mulled

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /mʌld/

Definitions

1. To have thought carefully about something while also referring to the process of heating a spiced drink, typically wine, or engaging in deep reflection on various ideas
2. To have engaged in extensive contemplation regarding an issue while also denoting the act of warming a flavored beverage, often wine, infused with spices and aromas
3. To consider or deliberate over something attentively ; to prepare a drink by warming with spices and flavorings

Etymology: The verb "mull" in the sense of turning something over in one's mind is probably linked to an older English and Scots word for dust or soft crumbled matter, "mull," which also gave rise to verbs meaning to crush or pulverize. The image would be of thoughts being ground over and over until they are fine enough to examine, though the connection is not firmly established. The drinking sense is less certain still. Its origin is unclear, and etymologists have not settled on a single source for the idea of warming and spicing ale or wine. What is clear is that "mulled" is simply the past participle of "mull," so the two meanings share one verb even though their histories may have run separately.

Synonyms: contemplated, pondered, considered, reflected

Antonyms: dismissed, ignored, overlooked