midden

noun

mid·​den ˈmi-dᵊn 

1

: dunghill

2

a

: a refuse heap

especially : kitchen midden

b

: a small pile (as of seeds, bones, or leaves) gathered by a rodent (such as a pack rat)

Examples of midden in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Although the bones of fish, cattle, sheep and pig were pulled out of the middens (halos of garbage dumped from the huts above), there was no evidence of human casualties. —Franz Lidz, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024

The land has been largely untouched for centuries — the Mocama and the Guale tribes had a presence on neighboring St. Simons Island, and while there is little information about Indigenous groups on Little St. Simons, shell middens suggest there was travel between the two. —Gisela Williams, Travel + Leisure, 16 Oct. 2023

The restroom is around the corner, reached by walking past the mosquito-breeding experiment that is a midden of old tires. —John Kelly, Washington Post, 26 July 2023

Additional evidence, like shell middens that bore evidence of having been eroded by strong currents, hinted at a potential paleotsunami. —Nathaniel Scharping, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English midding, from Old Norse *mykdyngja, from myki dung + dyngja manure pile — more at dung

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing midden

• kitchen midden

Kids Definition

midden

noun

mid·​den ˈmid-ᵊn 

: a refuse heap

especially : a mound (as of shells and bones) marking the place where prehistoric humans once lived