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husk

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husk¹

  • /hʌsk/ US, UK
  • /hʊsk/ Northern England

Rhymes with -ʌsk

Where it comes from

From Middle English huske, husk (“husk”). Perhaps from Old English *husuc, *hosuc (“little covering, sheath”), diminutive of hosu (“pod, shell, husk”), from Proto-West Germanic *hosā, from Proto-Germanic *husǭ (“covering, shell, leggings”), from Proto-Indo-European *kawəs- / kawes- (“cover”). If so, equivalent to hose + -ock.

Alternatively from Middle Low German hûs(e)ken, hü̂seken (“little house, sheath”), Middle Dutch husekijn (“little house, core of fruit, case”), diminutive of hûs (“house”). Compare Dutch huisje, German Häuschen, both also used for “snailshell”.

noun husks

  1. The dry, leafy or stringy exterior of certain vegetables or fruits, which must be removed before eating the meat inside. A coconut has a very thick husk.
  2. figuratively Any form of useless, dried up, and subsequently worthless exterior of something. His attorney was a dried-up husk of a man.
  3. The supporting frame of a run of millstones.
  4. collective, rare A group of hares. Isn't it just like that in your average husk of hares.

verb husks · husking · husked

  1. transitive To remove husks from.

husk²

  • /hʌsk/ US, UK
  • /hʊsk/ Northern England

Rhymes with -ʌsk

Where it comes from

Partly imitative, partly from Etymology 1, above, influenced by husky.

noun

  1. uncountable An infection in cattle caused by a species of Dictyocaulus or lungworm The symptoms of Husk are a constant cough, rapid loss of flesh, difficulty in breathing and, in the later stages, loss of appetite and diarrhœa.

verb husks · husking · husked

  1. intransitive To cough, clear one's throat. Back on the veranda he said to Lace gravely, "I do believe that poor child's in the family way." Lace, tracing the pattern of the matting with his boot, husked, and murmured, "Yes — I think so.
  2. transitive To say huskily, to utter in a husky voice. The French captain did not immediately respond; he looked at his men with a miserable expression [...]; still he hesitated, drooped, and finally husked, "Je me rends," with a look still more wretched.

Husk³

proper noun Husks

  1. A surname.

Translations

Every language

noun exterior of certain vegetables or fruits

Españolfarfolla, cáscara
日本語殻 kara, 外被 gaihi, 外皮 gaihi
中文外皮 wàipí, 殼 /壳 ké
Portuguêscasca
Françaisécale
DeutschHülse, Schote, Hülle, Schale, Getreidespelze
Italianoriccio, buccia, scorza
Românăcoajă
Русскийкожура́ kožurá, шелуха́ f dry šeluxá, скорлупа́ f hard skorlupá, ко́рка kórka
العربيةقِشْرَة qišra
עבריתקליפה klipá

noun any worthless exterior

Españolfarfolla, cáscara, sombra, faramalla
中文空壳 kōngké, 躯壳 qūqiào
Portuguêscasca
DeutschHülle
Русскийоболо́чка obolóčka

verb remove husks from

中文去壳 qùké, 剥皮
Italianosbucciare, scorticare, pelare, capare, sbaccellare, sgranare
Русскийочищать očiščatʹ

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MLA

"husk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/husk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

husk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/husk

Chicago

"husk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/husk.

BibTeX
@misc{husk_2026,
  title = {husk},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/husk},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}