Midden
//ˈmɪdən// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A dung heap.
- 2 a heap of dung or refuse wordnet
- 3 A refuse heap usually near a dwelling.
"Untouched by the decaying middens in which they live, they emerge into the sunshine immaculate and serene. The Burmese must be the best-dressed people in the world."
- 4 (archeology) a mound of domestic refuse containing shells and animal bones marking the site of a prehistoric settlement wordnet
- 5 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.
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- 6 A shelter made of vegetation and other materials by packrats.
- 7 An accumulation of dried urine and fecal deposits made by hyraxes.
Example
More examples"It is an ancient midden, presently an archaeological treasury."
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.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.