<B>mulch, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> straw, leaves, or loose earth spread on the ground around trees or plants. Mulch is used to protect the roots from cold or heat, to prevent evaporation of moisture from the soil, to check weed growth, to decay and enrich the soil itself, or to keep fruit clean. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to cover (ground) with straw or leaves; spread mulch under or around (a tree or plant). noun <B>mulcher.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="mulct">
<B>mulct, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to deprive of something by cunning or deceit; defraud. <BR> <I>Ex. He was mulcted of his money by a shrewd trick.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to punish (a person) by a fine. <BR> <I>Ex. Some [apostates] ... were again received into the Christian fold, after being severely mulcted (Washington Irving).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> a fine; penalty. </DL>
<A NAME="mule">
<B>mule</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an animal which is half donkey and half horse, especially the offspring of a male donkey and a mare, the offspring of a female donkey and a stallion usually being distinguished as a <I>hinny.</I> A mule has the form and size of a horse, and the large ears, small hoofs, and tufted tail of a donkey, and is usually sterile. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal, Figurative.) a stupid or stubborn person. <BR> <I>Ex. "Now don't be a young mule," said Good Mrs. Brown (Dickens).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a kind of spinning machine which twists cotton, wool, or other fibers into yarn and winds it on spindles. <DD><B> 4. </B>any hybrid animal, especially the sterile offspring of a canary and some related bird. <DD><B> 5. </B>a tractor or small electric locomotive used to pull boats along a canal. </DL>
<A NAME="mule">
<B>mule</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a loose slipper, covering only the toes and part of the instep, and leaving the rest of the foot and the heel uncovered. </DL>
<A NAME="muleback">
<B>muleback, </B>noun, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> the back of a mule. <BR> <I>Ex. Sometimes they came on horse- or muleback but, more often, on foot (Harper's).</I> <DD><I>adv. </I> on the back of a mule. <BR> <I>Ex. to ride muleback.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="muledeer">
<B>mule deer,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a deer of western North America having long ears, large, branching antlers, and a white tail with a black tip. It is related and similar to the white-tailed deer. A mule deer of the Pacific coast, the black-tailed deer, has a black tail with a white tip. </DL>
<A NAME="mulefoot">
<B>Mule-Foot, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a breed of hog that is bred for both lard and bacon. It has a solid hoof like that of a mule. </DL>
<A NAME="muleheaded">
<B>muleheaded, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> stupidly obstinate or stubborn; pig-headed. </DL>
<A NAME="mulekiller">
<B>mule killer,</B> <B>=dragonfly.</B></DL>
<A NAME="mules">
<B>mules, </B>transitive verb, <B>mulesed,</B> <B>mulesing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Australian.) to cut away folds of skin from the hind legs and tail of a sheep, producing scar tissue free of wool to prevent infestation of blowfly eggs. </DL>
<A NAME="mulesfoot">
<B>mule's foot,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a V-shaped tool used in leathercraft to cut and to decorate. </DL>
<A NAME="mulesing">
<B>mulesing, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Australian.) an operation that prevents flystrike in sheep. </DL>
<A NAME="muleskinner">
<B>mule skinner,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.)a man who drives or is in charge of mules. <BR> <I>Ex. He knew plenty of individuals who represented the types--mule skinners, cowboys, barkeeps (Chicago Tribune).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="muleta">
<B>muleta, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Spanish.) a small red cloth draped over a stick, used to attract the attention of the bull in bullfighting. <BR> <I>Ex. Paeota held the folded muleta in his left hand and laid the sword across it (Barnaby Conrad).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="muleteer">
<B>muleteer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a driver of mules. <BR> <I>Ex. muleteers hurrying forward their burdened animals (Washington Irving).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="muletrain">
<B>mule train,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a train of wagons drawn by mules. <DD><B> 2. </B>a train of pack mules. </DL>
<B>muley saw,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a saw for ripping timber, a long, stiff blade guided in a rapid reciprocating action by guide carriages at top and bottom; mully saw. </DL>
<A NAME="mulga">
<B>mulga, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various small acacias of Australia, that yield a hard, durable wood much used for carving ornaments. </DL>
<B>mull</B> (1), transitive verb, intransitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to think (about) without making much progress; ponder. <BR> <I>Ex. to mull over a problem. His subcommittee will mull the situation this fall and have a bill ready when Congress meets (Wall Street Journal).</I> (SYN) ruminate. </DL>
<A NAME="mull">
<B>mull</B> (2), transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to make (wine, beer, or cider) into a warm drink, adding sugar and spices. noun <B>muller.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="mull">
<B>mull</B> (3), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a thin, soft muslin. </DL>
<B>mull</B> (5), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a moist, well-aerated humus which is conducive to plant growth. </DL>
<A NAME="mull">
<B>mull</B> (6), verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to grind to powder; crumble. <BR> <I>Ex. to mull bread.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to soften or moisten (leather) by dipping it in water and hanging it in a moisture-filled chamber. <DD><B> 3. </B>(British Slang.) <DD><B> a. </B>to bungle; botch. <BR> <I>Ex. to mull a pass in Rugby.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to stupefy; muddle. <BR> <I>Ex. mulled with drink.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> (British Slang.) a muddle; mess. <BR> <I>Ex. I nearly made a mull of the business (E. E. Napier).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mullah">
<B>mullah</B> or <B>mulla, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (a title of respect in Moslem countries) a person who is learned in or teaches the sacred law. <BR> <I>Ex. He made Kim learn whole chapters of the Koran by heart, till he could deliver them with the very roll and cadence of a mullah (Rudyard Kipling).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mullein">
<B>mullein</B> or <B>mullen, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a weed with coarse, woolly leaves and spikes of yellow flowers. It belongs to the figwort family. There are various kinds, making up a genus of plants. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of various plants similar to this group of weeds. </DL>
<A NAME="mulleinpink">
<B>mullein pink,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a white, woolly herb of the pink family, a native of southern Europe, with oval or oblong leaves and crimson flowers; rose campion. </DL>
<A NAME="muller">
<B>muller, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an implement for grinding paints, powders, or other substances, on a slab. <DD><B> 2. </B>a mechanical device for grinding or crushing. </DL>
<A NAME="mullerian">
<B>Mullerian</B> or <B>Mullerian duct,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the embryonic genital or reproductive tract of the female in vertebrate animals, corresponding to the mesonephric duct of the male. </DL>
<A NAME="mullerian">
<B>Mullerian</B> or <B>Mullerian mimicry,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> protective mimicry in which the mimicking animal is as inedible or disagreeable to predators as the animal it mimics. <BR> <I>Ex. Mullerian mimicry ... gave all the species concerned an advantage in that fewer individuals would be sacrificed in the learning process whereby predators came to associate particular habits or colour patterns with distastefulness (New Scientist).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mullet">
<B>mullet</B> (1), noun, pl. <B>-lets</B> or (collectively) <B>-let.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a kind of fish that lives close to the shore in warm waters. It is good to eat. There are gray mullets and red mullets or surmullets. Mullets have small mouths and weak teeth. <BR> <I>Ex. Some say the mullet jump to shake off a parasite that annoys them (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mullet">
<B>mullet</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Heraldry.) a star-shaped figure, usually with five straight or regular points. See <B>estoile.</B> </DL>
<B>mulley, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-leys.</B> <B>=muley.</B></DL>
<A NAME="mulligan">
<B>mulligan, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Slang.) <DD><B> 1. </B>Also, <B>mulligan stew.</B> a stew of meat, or sometimes fish, and vegetables. <BR> <I>Ex. Hoboes are traditionally makers of mulligan.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Golf.) a second drive, without penalty, off the first tee (when the first drive is bad). </DL>
<A NAME="mulligatawny">
<B>mulligatawny, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a soup made from a chicken or meat stock flavored with curry, originally made in India. </DL>
<A NAME="mulligrubs">
<B>mulligrubs, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) <DD><B> 1. </B>low spirits; the blues. <DD><B> 2. </B>stomachache; colic. <BR> <I>Ex. Where spasms were ... afflicting him with mulligrubs (George Colman).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mullion">
<B>mullion, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a vertical bar between the panes of a window, the panels in the wall of a room, or used between other surfaces as decoration. <BR> <I>Ex. On the one side ran a range of windows lofty and large, divided by carved mullions of stones (Scott).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a radiating bar in a round window. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to divide or provide with mullions. Also, <B>munnion.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="mullioned">
<B>mullioned, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having mullions. <BR> <I>Ex. mullioned windows.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mullite">
<B>mullite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a mineral, a silicate of aluminum, that is similar to cyanite. It is rare as a mineral but common in artificial melting processes. </DL>
<A NAME="mullock">
<B>mullock, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> in Australia: <DD><B> 1. </B>mining refuse. <DD><B> 2. </B>ore or earth that does not contain gold. </DL>
