What does mutton mean?
Mutton is the meat of a sheep, especially an adult sheep, and is traditionally used in dishes such as stews, curries, chops, and roasts. The word is more common in British, Irish, Australian, and New Zealand English than in contemporary American English, where lamb and ground lamb are often preferred terms. Mutton is not simply another name for lamb: lamb comes from a young sheep, while mutton generally refers to meat from a mature animal. In Australia and New Zealand, mutton can also mean sheep meat generally, and it may carry the practical implication of meat from an older sheep rather than a tender young lamb. In culinary writing, mutton often suggests slow cooking and strong, traditional flavors. The term is therefore useful for distinguishing sheep meat by age and for recognizing a broad culinary and regional vocabulary that is not represented by the more familiar word lamb.
nounThe flesh of a sheep used as food, especially the flesh of an adult sheep. In some regional usage, the word can also refer to a sheep considered for food.
- The flesh of a sheep used as food, especially the flesh of an adult sheep.
- A sheep considered as food, particularly in regional usage.
"The recipe calls for mutton slow-cooked with onions, herbs, and plenty of black pepper."
"The village restaurant serves a rich mutton stew seasoned with rosemary and garlic."
"In some Australian and New Zealand contexts, mutton means sheep meat generally, including meat from older animals."
The plural is uncommon and chiefly refers to sheep; mutton as food is normally used as a mass noun.
"The farmer kept several muttons on the rocky hillside."
Mutton is more than another word for sheep meat: in parts of Australia and New Zealand, it can refer to sheep meat generally, often associated with older sheep.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mutton come from?
The word entered Middle English from Old French moton, meaning a sheep or ram. Old French moton is generally traced through Medieval Latin to Latin multo, a word for a sheep or wether, with related forms preserved in French mouton and Italian montone. English usage developed both the general food meaning and, in some regional contexts, the broader meaning of a sheep regarded as livestock.
How mutton is actually used
Mutton is especially established in British, Irish, Australian, and New Zealand English, though it is also understood in American English. The food sense is normally a mass noun, and the word often carries a traditional, rustic, or old-fashioned culinary association.
Easily confused with mutton
Mutton is meat from an adult sheep, whereas lamb is meat from a young sheep.