Emily Dickinson Lexicon

MU'TI-NY, n. [Fr. mutin, refractory, stubborn; mutiner, to mutiny or rise in arms; mutinerie, mutiny; Sp. motin, a mutiny; amotinar, to excite rebellion; It. mutinare, to mutiny; Port. motim; D. muiten, mutiny, and as a verb, to mutiny, and to mew, to molt or cast the feathers, coinciding with the Fr. muer, Eng. to mew; G. meuterey, mutiny, and mausen, to mew or molt; Dan. myterie; Sw. mytteri, mutiny; Arm. muza, to mew or molt. We see that these words, mutiny and mew, are from the same root as L. muto, to change, W. mudaw, which is radically the same word as L. moto, to move. Mutiny is formed from the French mutin, a derivative word, and mew from the root or verb. So motin, in Spanish, is a derivative, while muda, change, and Port. mudar, to change feathers, are directly from the verb; Eth. መይጠ mit, to turn; Ar. مَطَا matau, to move or drive, or مَاطَ mata, to drive. Class Md, No. 14, 10.]

An insurrection of soldiers or seamen against the authority of their commanders; open resistance of officers or opposition to their authority. A mutiny is properly the act of numbers, but by statutes and orders for governing the army and navy in different countries, the acts which constitute mutiny are multiplied and defined; and acts of individuals, amounting to a resistance of the authority or lawful commands of officers, are declared to be mutiny. Any attempt to excite opposition to lawful authority, or any act of contempt toward officers, or disobedience of commands, is by the British Mutiny Act, declared to be mutiny. Any concealment of mutinous acts, or neglect to attempt a suppression of them, is declared also to be mutiny. Note. In good authors who lived a century ago, mutiny and mutinous were applied to insurrection and sedition in civil society. But I believe these words are now applied exclusively to soldiers and seamen.]