Words that start with M

A mule is what you get when you cross a male donkey with a female horse. All male mules and most female mules are infertile.

Mules make good working animals as they inherit many of the good traits from both donkeys and horses.

Mumbai is the biggest city in India, and the fourth biggest in the world. It has a population of around 20.5 million.

A mummy is a preserved dead body, animal or human. Mummies can be made by deliberately preserving them, or accidentally by extreme environmental conditions. The process of preserving a body is called mummification.

In ancient Egypt, it was common for dead bodies to be ritually preserved for burial. Mummified bodies typically had the internal organs removed and were then dried, by desert sand or salt, and anointed with oils and perfumes and wrapped.

A mural is a large painting on a wall or ceiling. Murals may be painted directly onto the surface or painted on something else and attached to the surface.

A group of crows or ravens is called a murder or an unkindness.

See also kill.

Muscat is the capital of Oman. It has a population of around 735,000.

A museum is a place where old and interesting things from all over the world are kept for people to come and look at. Museums are a great source of information.

Mushrooms are a type of fungus, and are not a plant. They come in a variety of sizes and colours. Some mushrooms are edible, but others are poisonous - poisonous mushrooms are often called toadstools. The top part of a mushroom is called the cap and the stem at the bottom is called the stalk.

Mushrooms reproduce in a similar way to ferns. They grow spores in gills under the cap, which gradually opens from a ball to a disc as the mushroom matures. Some mushrooms release their spores in an explosive puff. Spores look like fine black dust.

Music is art made of sound. Music is usually very pleasant, and is made by combining sounds from musical instruments.

A musician is someone who plays a musical instrument for a living. Sometimes singers are also called musicians. Someone who plays music on the streets so people throw them money is called a busker.