Mum's the word Mum's the word Mum's the word is a popular English idiom. It is related to an expression used by William Shakespeare, in "Henry VI, Part 2". The word “mum” is a slanged version of momme, which was used between 1350-1400 in Middle English with very close to the same meaning: Be silent; Do not reveal "Mum's the word" means to keep silent or quiet. "Mum" is a Middle English word meaning 'silent', and may be derived from the "mummer" who acts without speaking. Note the similar English word "mime" (Old English "mīma", Latin "mimus") meaning silent actor or imitator. The
Old English grammar feminine nominative article "sēo", yielding "she"; whereas the "h" in plural forms such as "hīe" was replaced with "þ" under Norse influence as it evolved (a slower development that was not complete until well into the Middle English period), yielding "they, them, their". Prepositions (like Modern English words "by", "for", and "with") often follow the word which they govern, in which case they are called "postpositions". Also, if the object of a preposition was marked in the dative case, a preposition may conceivably be located anywhere in the sentence. The following is a list of prepositions in the Old English