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mutton

Etymology and origin of the English word mutton

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmʌt(ə)n/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English motoun, borrowed from Old French moton (“ram, wether, sheep”),[2][3][4][5][6] from Medieval Latin multō (“ram”),[2][3][4] of Celtic origin, from Gaulish *multo-,[2][3][4][5][6] related to Old Irish molt (“wether”) and Welsh mollt (“wether”).[3][4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The flesh of sheep used as food (c. 1290 in the OED; before 1300 in Barnhart).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English mutton could also mean a sheep itself (1338), a use now only jocular.[7][4] As with beef, pork and veal, the French name came to be used for the meat while the English name was kept for the animal.[4] From the early 16th century mutton was slang for loose women or prostitutes.[7][4] The mutton chop dates from 1720, and from 1865 also names a style of side whiskers shaped like it.[4] The phrase as dead as mutton is from 1714.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1290 – the meat of sheep.[7][3]
  • 1338 – a sheep (now jocular).[7]
  • before 1518 – slang, loose women.[7][4]
  • 1714 – as dead as mutton.[7]
  • 1720 – mutton chop.[4]
  • 1865 – mutton-chop whiskers.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The flesh of a fully grown sheep, used as food.
  2. (jocular) A sheep.
  3. (printing) An em quad.

Word family

  • muttony
  • muttonhead
  • mutton bird
  • lamb
  • beef
  • pork
  • mutton chop

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Mutton.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/mutton. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·