mew

Meanings

Noun

  • A gull, seagull.
  • A prison, or other place of confinement.
  • A hiding place; a secret store or den.
  • A breeding-cage for birds.
  • A cage for hawks, especially while moulting.
  • A building or set of buildings where moulting birds are kept.
  • The crying sound of a cat; a meow, especially of a kitten.
  • The crying sound of a gull or buzzard.
  • An exclamation of disapproval; a boo.

Verb

Interjection

Origin

  • From Middle English mewe, mowe, meau, from Old English mǣw, from Proto-Germanic *maihwaz, *maiwaz ("seagull") (compare West Frisian meau, mieu, Dutch meeuw, German Möwe), from *maiwijaną (compare Middle English mawen ("to shout, mew"), Middle Dutch mauwen, Middle High German māwen); akin to Latvian maût, Old Church Slavonic мꙑꙗти.
  • From Middle English mewe, mue, mwe, from Anglo-Norman mue, muwe, and Middle French mue ("shedding feathers; cage for moulting birds; prison"), from muer.
  • From Middle English mewen; .
  • Named after British orthodontists John Mew and his son Michael Mew.

Modern English dictionary

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