mutton

UK: /ˈmʌt^ən/ US: /ˈmʌtən/ ,(mut′n)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

mut•ton¹ /ˈmʌtən/   n. [uncountable]

1. Food the flesh of a mature sheep, used as food.

mut•ton•y, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

mut•ton¹  (mut′n), n. 

1. Food the flesh of sheep, esp. full-grown or more mature sheep, used as food.

• Celtic; compare Middle Irish molt, Welsh mollt, Breton maout wether
• Old French
• Middle English moton sheep 1250–1300

mut′ton•y, adj. 

mut•ton²  (mut′n), n. [Print.]

1. Printing em (def. 2). Also called mut. 

• code term, coined to differentiate the pronunciation of em quad from en quad 1935–40

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

mutton / ˈmʌt^ən/ noun

1. the flesh of sheep, esp of mature sheep, used as food
2. mutton dressed as lamb ⇒ an older woman dressed up to look young
3. another word for em1

Etymology: 13th Century moton sheep, from Old French, from Medieval Latin multō, of Celtic origin; the term was adopted in printing to distinguish the pronunciation of em quad from en quad

ˈmuttony adjective