midden

Meaning

1. A dungheap.
2. A refuse heap usually near a dwelling.
3. An accumulation, deposit, or soil derived from occupation debris, rubbish, or other by-products of human activity, such as bone, shell, ash, or decayed organic materials; or a pile or mound of such materials, often prehistoric.
4. A shelter made of vegetation and other materials by packrats.
5. An accumulation of dried urine and fecal deposits made by hyraxes.

Synonyms

muckheap

muckhill

dunghill

kitchen midden

eitchen midden

dump

rubbish pit

trash dump

garbage dump

mound

oven

rubbish dump

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmɪdən/

Etymology

From Middle English midding, myddyng, from Old Danish mykdyngja, (a compound of Old Norse myk, myki (“muck, manure”) and dyngja (“dung, dungpile”)), whence also Danish møgdynge and mødding, Norwegian mødding, dialectal Swedish mödding.