mure

The guards mure the prisoner up in a small stone cell.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To confine or imprison: "mure" means to shut someone in, to enclose or imprison them, often by building a wall or barrier around them. It is typically used in a literal or figurative sense of trapping or isolating.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • The rebels were mured up in the castle dungeon for weeks. (They were confined or imprisoned inside.)
  • She felt mured by the endless paperwork in her small office. (She felt trapped or isolated by the routine.)

Advanced Usage

• "to mure up": a phrasal verb meaning to completely enclose or block off an area or person.
  • The workers mured up the old fireplace to prevent drafts. (They sealed it off with a wall.)
  • He was mured up in his room studying for exams. (He isolated himself indoors.)

Variants and Related Words

• Murement (n): the act or state of being confined or walled in.
  • The murement of the prisoners lasted for years. (The confinement endured over time.)

Synonyms

• Imprison: to put someone in a prison or confine them.
• Immure: a more common synonym, meaning to enclose or imprison, often used in formal or literary contexts.
• Confine: to keep someone within limits, physically or otherwise.

Related Idioms

• Mure up one's heart: (less common) to close oneself off emotionally.
  • After the loss, he mured up his heart and refused to love again. (He emotionally isolated himself.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Mure up (as above): to shut in or block completely.
  • The entrance was mured up with bricks. (It was sealed off entirely.)