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| adj. Silent or untalkative: “Usually they were mumchance villains, but the excitement about the discovery made them chatter” (T. H. White). [From Early Modern English mumchaunce as in to play mumchaunce, to stay silent, from mumchaunce, a kind of dice game played in silence, from Middle Low German mummenschanze (Middle Low German mummen, a dice game played in silence during Carnival, ultimately from Middle French mommon, from mommer, to play dice in a mask during Carnival, from Old French momer, to masquerade, mum; see MUM2 + Middle Low German schanze, throw of dice, from Middle French chance, from Old French, throw of dice, chance; see CHANCE) and its cognate forms Middle Dutch mommecanse and early Modern German Momschanz.] |
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