Mull
/mʌl/noun
To think about something carefully or over time; also to heat and flavor a drink, especially with spices.
Did you know?The thinking sense of *mull* is probably a later development from the older word for crushing or grinding, as if your thoughts were being worked over like spices in a mortar.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mel-
“to grind, crush, bruise, or wear away”
Old English
English
mylen / myl
“mill; grinding device or dust from grinding”
Middle English
English
mullen
“to crush, break up, or reduce to powder”
16th Century
English
mull
“to heat and flavor a drink with spices”
17th–18th Century
English
mull
“to think over slowly or ponder deeply”
Modern English
English
mull
“to consider something carefully or to warm and spice a beverage”