mooch
UK[muːtʃ]US[muːtʃ]
v
To ask someone for something, especially money or food, without intending to give anything back.
v
To move or act in a slow, idle, or aimless way.
Etymology
The word 'mooch' has a somewhat obscure etymological path, emerging in Middle English with a core sense of skulking or lurking with an intent to beg or steal. Its probable source is the Old French verb 'muchier', meaning 'to hide or conceal', which paints a vivid picture of the furtive, stealthy behavior associated with its earliest usage. Over centuries, the meaning broadened from the specific act of lurking to beg, to the more general modern senses of sponging off others or loitering without purpose. This evolution connects the literal action of hiding to the abstract concepts of dependency and aimlessness, capturing a behavior done in a sneaky or shiftless manner.
Analysis
This word is a simplex form. It is likely derived from the Middle English verb 'mouchen', meaning 'to pretend poverty' or 'to hoard'. Its ultimate origin is uncertain but may be related to Old French 'muchier' (to hide, skulk).
Examples
He's always trying to mooch a cigarette off his coworkers.
Don't let him mooch a free meal from you again.
We spent the afternoon just mooching around the town center.