mither en · VERB · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈmaɪðə(ɹ)/
Etymology
Late 17th century, of unknown origin; * Possibly related to Middle English bemothered (“confused, perplexed”), itself probably related to Old English mēþe (“exhausting, troublesome”), Old Norse móðr (“angry, frustrated”), Middle Dutch moeden (“to tire, exhaust, disturb, trouble”). * Possibly allied to Welsh moedro (“to worry or bother”), though according to the GPC, the latter is borrowed from English. * Alternatively, possibly tied to Welsh meidda (“to beg for whey”), from maidd (“whey”). * Perhaps from Welsh meiddio (“to dare or venture”), a variant of beiddio (“to dare”). The "dd" in Welsh corresponds in sound to the "th" in mither, and English also has moider and moither.
Meanings
-
(Northern-England, intransitive, qualifier:especially Manchester) To make an unnecessary fuss, moan, bother.
The European Commission is pondering how to compel phone companies to come up with a universal plug for their chargers. Apple, which uses its own design for its charger cables, is mithering about the change.
6 February 2020, “The parable of the plug”, in The Economist:
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(Northern-England, qualifier:especially Manchester, transitive) To pester or irritate someone.
"Every night after work I'd mither [pester] my dad to take me out into the field and practise. There were definitely times when he didn't want to do it, but he never said no.
11 June 2019, “Women's World Cup: England v Argentina – Keira Walsh 'inspired' by opponents”, in BBC Sport:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| mithers | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| mithered | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| mithered | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| mithering | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Translations (8)
ru докуча́ть (transitive to mither) · pt importunar (transitive to mither) · pt fazer queixume (intransitive: to mither) · ru раздража́ть (intransitive: to mither) · ia preoccupar se de bagatelas (intransitive: to mither) · ru донима́ть (transitive to mither) · nl lastigvallen (transitive to mither) · ia importunar (transitive to mither)