midden

[ mid-n ]

noun

1. a dunghill or refuse heap.
2. kitchen midden.

midden

/ ˈmɪdən /

noun

1. 1. a dunghill or pile of refuse
   2. a dustbin
   3. an earth closet
2. See kitchen midden

Word History and Origins

Origin of midden¹

1300–50; Middle English midding < Old Danish mykdyngja, equivalent to myk manure + dyngja pile ( Danish mødding )

Word History and Origins

Origin of midden¹

C14: from Scandinavian; compare Danish mödding from mög muck + dynge pile

Example Sentences

Encircling the footprint of each roundhouse were "middens," haloes of rubbish dumped from the stilt village above, included broken pots, butchered animal bone, and "coprolites" or fossilised faeces.

From Science Daily

The high presence of hearths and mollusk and fish remains in the middens suggests that the area was used for the processing and consumption of marine resources.

From Science Daily

In the summer of 2022, a team of researchers visited Greenland to take soil samples from heaps of human and animal waste, or middens, dating from the smallpox epidemic and before.

From Science Magazine

Their bones have been recovered from refuse piles -- called middens -- alongside shells, fish bones and other scraps from previous meals.

From Science Daily

These practices include generating "middens" -- piles of waste and food scraps, similar to compost heaps, that are maintained in certain locations around the center of a village.

From Science Daily