meung: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very LowLiterary, Archaic, Technical (falconry)
Quick answer
What does “meung” mean?
A variant spelling of 'mew', primarily meaning to make the high-pitched cry of a cat or a gull.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A variant spelling of 'mew', primarily meaning to make the high-pitched cry of a cat or a gull.
It can also refer to the act of confining or shutting away, often in reference to hawks. By extension, it can imply a plaintive or weak human cry.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in usage due to the word's extreme rarity. The falconry sense of confinement (as in 'to mew/meung up') might be slightly more recognized in UK due to historical cultural connections.
Connotations
In both varieties, it carries an archaic, poetic, or deliberately old-fashioned connotation.
Frequency
Virtually never used in contemporary speech or standard writing in either variety. 'Mew' is the standard form.
Grammar
How to Use “meung” in a Sentence
[Subject] (cat, gull) meungs[Subject] meungs [Adverb (plaintively, softly)]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “meung” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The stray kitten would meung outside the door every night.
- In the old poem, the hawks were meunged in their cages.
American English
- The cat started to meung for its breakfast.
- He felt a desire to meung his complaints to the empty room.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Only in literary analysis of older texts.
Everyday
Not used; would be replaced by 'mew' or 'miaow'.
Technical
Potentially in historical falconry texts as a variant of 'mew' (to confine a hawk).
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “meung”
- Using 'meung' in modern contexts where 'mew' or 'miaow' is expected.
- Misspelling as 'meang', 'moung', or 'mung'.
- Assuming it is a common word.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but it is an extremely rare and archaic variant of the verb 'mew'. It is not used in contemporary standard English.
There is no difference in meaning. 'Meung' is simply a historical variant spelling of 'mew'. 'Mew' is the standard modern form.
Only if you are writing about historical language or quoting a source that uses it. In all other contexts, you should use the standard form 'mew' to avoid confusion or the appearance of an error.
It is pronounced like 'mew' (as in the sound a cat makes) with an 'ng' sound added at the end: /mjuːŋ/. It rhymes with 'tuned'.
A variant spelling of 'mew', primarily meaning to make the high-pitched cry of a cat or a gull.
Meung is usually literary, archaic, technical (falconry) in register.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a YOUNG cat going 'me-ung... me-ung...' which sounds like its 'mew' but with a 'ng' at the end.
Conceptual Metaphor
ANIMAL SOUNDS ARE HUMAN LAMENTATIONS (e.g., 'the wind meunged like a lost child').
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the word 'meung' MOST likely to be found?