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glum (glŭm)
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adj. glum·mer, glum·mest
1. Moody and melancholy; dejected.
2. Gloomy; dismal.
n.
1. The quality or state of being moody, melancholy, and gloomy or an instance of it: "He was a charming mixture of glum and glee" (Lillian Hellman).
2. glums Chiefly British The blues. Often used with the: "Most other publications have got the glums" (Tina Brown).
[Probably akin to Middle English gloumen, to become dark; see GLOOM.]
glumly adv.
glumness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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