mither

Meaning

Verb

1. (Northern-England, intransitive) To make an unnecessary fuss, moan, bother.
2. (Northern-England, transitive) To pester or irritate someone.

Noun

mother

Translations

lastigvallen

importunar

herumnörgeln

maulen

meckern

stöhnen

nölen

herummeckern

bêler

crier

geindre

gémir

grogner

mugir

jammern

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmaɪðə(ɹ)/

Etymology

Cognate with Middle English: bemothered

Cognate with Old English: mēþe

Cognate with Old Norse: móðr

Cognate with Middle Dutch: moeden

Cognate with Welsh: meidda

Cognate with Welsh: meiddio

Inherited from Middle English: muther

Inherited from Old English: mōdor

In summary

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.