mutton

¹

[ muht-n ]

noun

1. the flesh of sheep, especially full-grown or more mature sheep, used as food.

mutton

²

[ muht-n ]

noun

, Printing.

1. em ( def 2 ).

mutton

/ ˈmʌtən /

noun

1. the flesh of sheep, esp of mature sheep, used as food
2. mutton dressed as lamb
   an older woman dressed up to look young
3. printing another word for em Compare nut

Derived Forms

• ˈmuttony, adjective

Other Words From

• mutton·y adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mutton¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English moton “sheep,” from Old French, from Celtic; compare Breton maout “wether,” Middle Irish molt, Welsh mollt

Origin of mutton²

First recorded in 1935–40; code term, coined to differentiate the pronunciation of em quad from en quad

Word History and Origins

Origin of mutton¹

C13 moton sheep, from Old French, from Medieval Latin multō, of Celtic origin; the term was adopted in printing to distinguish the pronunciation of em quad from en quad

Example Sentences

Old Mutton Face, they called him.

From BBC

One Ark of Taste stalwart is the Southwest’s Navajo Churro sheep, a source of mutton and wool and once “a fixture of Diné life as central as corn,” according to Lord and Shields, was critically endangered by the late 1970s after decades of culls by the U.S. government; efforts to protect and revitalize the landrace sheep led to the creation of Slow Food’s Navajo Churro presidium, which now includes 11 Indigenous herders who have helped bring the breed back from extinction.

From Salon

I wanted to walk the walk and talk the talk and eat the mutton and read the Cicero.

From Slate

He recounts a recent incident where a man delivering mutton in the city was stopped by Hindu right-wing group members, handed over to the police and thrown into jail.

From BBC

The dress was inspired by a pattern in an 1890s book, dating from a period in fashion that featured huge mutton sleeves.

From Seattle Times