MUSSITATE

[Dr. Goodword]

• mussitate •

Pronunciation: mês-ê-tayt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, intransitive

Meaning: 1. To mumble inarticulately, moving the lips and making a low vocal sound, or to mutter through the teeth. 2. (Medicine) To move the lips without making a sound.

Notes: The noun for today's Good Word is mussitation and the adjective is mussitant "muttering". The adjective may also be used as a noun referring to someone who mutters or who moves their lips without speaking, as that disgruntled old mussitant sitting in the corner.

In Play: I don't think we have another word for muttering through clenched teeth, so today's Good Word has a job waiting for its return from the brink of oblivion: "'Take your things and get out of this apartment immediately!' she mussitated angrily through her tightly clenched teeth." As our kids get smarter and smarter, don't be surprised to hear one say, "Mom always mussitates 'Sweet dreams!' as she leaves our room each night after tucking us in."

Word History: The root of this word comes from Latin mussitat(us), the past participial of mussitare "to mutter", a variant of mussare "to mutter". Mussare is an onomatopoetic (imitative) stem similar to ancient Greek muxein "to mutter" and English mutter. Onomatopoetic words are generated by individual languages and are not always passed along historically as are other words. Cockadoodle-doo, for example, is kykkeliky in Danish, kukeleku in Dutch, cocorico in French, kickeriki in German. As you can see, these words are related only by the sound they imitate. The same applies to Latin mussare. (We are happy that Susan Lister spoke up without mussitation and sent us today's Good Word.).

[Slava]

This would be a good word for those who like to mix their words up, too. "I hate driving with the windows down. It mussitates my hair."

Or, more correctly, a parent speaking to a stereotypical teenager: "Don't you mussitate at me, young man/woman!"