muckheap

9.8

A pile of animal dung and straw on a farm

noun
/ˈmʌkˌhip/

: montón de estiércol

The farmer shoveled fresh straw onto the muckheap behind the barn.

Examples

They moved the muckheap to the far side of the field to keep the smell away from the house.
Flies buzzed around the old muckheap that had grown over the summer.
The muckheap was located behind the barn.
Farmers often spread the muckheap on their fields.
The farmer shoveled fresh straw onto the muckheap behind the barn.
Flies buzzed around the old muckheap that had grown over the summer.
They moved the muckheap to the far side of the field to keep the smell away from the house.

Synonyms

midden

vsmuckheap

Specialized

1 9.9

A pile of old rubbish and animal bones left by people

applies to a nearby farm pile of dung rather than an ancient refuse deposit

dunghill

vsmuckheap

1 8.2

A pile of animal waste and straw on a farm

is used for such a pile often located near stables

dustheap

vsmuckheap

1 4.5

A pile of dust and old rubbish thrown away

focuses on animal dung and farm location rather than general rubbish

muckhill

vsmuckheap

9.9

A pile of animal dung and farm waste behind a barn

has identical meaning but is a different spelling or regional form

How Large

midden

Specialized

1 9.9

compost heap

6 2.8

muckheap

9.8

heap

85 1.1

Surface Forms

muckheap singular

muckheaps plural

Morphology

muckheap = muck + heap (transparent) = muck + heap

The meaning is a straightforward compound of 'muck' (dung/refuse) + 'heap' (pile), so learners can directly infer 'a pile of muck'.

Etymology

Muckheap comes from the simple words muck ('dung' or 'dirt') and heap ('pile'). So it literally means a pile of farm waste, which is why the word describes the smelly pile you might find behind a barn.