mope

/moʊp/

mope

English Verb Top 26,668

Definition

To carry oneself in a depressed, lackadaisical manner; to give oneself up to low spirits; to pout, sulk.

Etymology

Late Middle English (as a noun meaning "simpleton, fool"), probably related to mop (“young of an animal, moppet”). Alternatively, of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish mopa (“to sulk”), Danish måbe, themselves borrowed from Low German mopen (“to make faces, gape”), of uncertain ultimate origin, but compare Proto-West Germanic *mauwu (“protruding lip, pout”). Compare also German muffen, French moue.