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mule

/mjuːl/ noun

In Latin: mūlus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about mule at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile.
  2. A slipper that has no fitting around the heel.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English mule, from Anglo-Norman mule (“she-mule”) and Old English mūl, both ultimately from Latin mūlus, from Proto-Indo-European *mukslós. Compare Late Latin muscellus (“young he-mule”), Old East Slavic мъшкъ (mŭškŭ, “mule”), Ancient Greek (Phocian) μυχλός (mukhlós, “he-ass”), and German Maul Maultier, Maulesel (through Latin).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)