Definition of "mumming" [mumming]

• Present participle of mum. (verb)

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• "This practice is called mumming, from which the practice of trick-or-treating evolved."
• "By the early 1600s, however, the excesses of "Christmas-keepers" in England had only increased, when such practices as "mumming" had become common."
• "The custom of Christmas masking, "mumming," or "disguising" can be traced at the English court as early as the reign of Edward III."