different between mutton vs muttony

English

Etymology

From Middle English motoun, moton, from Old French mouton (“sheep”), from Vulgar Latin molt?, from Gaulish *multon-, from Proto-Celtic *moltos (“ram, wether”). Doublet of mouton.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?m?tn?/, [?m??n?]
• Rhymes: -?t?n

Noun

mutton (countable and uncountable, plural muttons)

1. The flesh of sheep used as food.
2. The flesh of goat used as food.
3. (archaic) A sheep.
4. (typography slang) Em, a unit of measurement equal to the height of the type in use.
5. (obsolete, slang) A prostitute.

   Synonym: laced mutton

6. (historical) An old Anglo-French gold coin impressed with the image of a lamb.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:mutton.

Synonyms

• (meat of a sheep): sheepflesh, sheepmeat

Hyponyms

• (meat of a sheep): lamb

Derived terms

• mutton bird
• muttonchop
• mutton dash
• mutton dressed as lamb
• mutton quad

Translations

Adjective

mutton (not comparable)

1. (Cockney rhyming slang) deaf.

Synonyms

• Mutton Jeff

See also

• Wikipedia article on mutton

Middle English

Noun

mutton

1. Alternative form of motoun

English

Etymology

mutton +? -y

Adjective

muttony (comparative more muttony, superlative most muttony)

1. Like mutton; having a flavour of mutton.
   • 1891, Outing: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction (volume 17, page 137)

     I confess to having felt a prejudice against sleeping in a bag, more especially a sheepskin bag, which would probably have a muttony odor; but it was pronounced to be the warmest and least cumbersome form of bedding we could have […]