musk
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musk¹
- /mʌsk/ US, UK
- /mɐsk/ Australia, New Zealand
- /mʊsk/ Northern England
Sounds like MuSK · Rhymes with -ʌsk
Where it comes from
From Middle English muske, borrowed from Old French musc, from Late Latin muscus, from Ancient Greek μόσχος (móskhos), from Middle Persian [script needed] (mwšk' /muʃk/) whence Persian مشک (mošk). Ultimately from Sanskrit मुष्क (muṣka, “testicle”), the shape of the gland of animals secreting the substance being compared to human testicles, a diminutive of मूष् (mūṣ, “mouse”), the shape of human testicles being compared to mice, from Proto-Indo-European *múHs (“mouse”). Cognate with mouse.
noun musks
- A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes. Your onely way to make a good pomander, is this. Take an ownce of the pureſt garden mould, clenſed and ſteeped ſeauen daies in change of motherleſſe roſe water, then take the beſt Labdanum, Benioine, both Storaxes, amber greece, and Ciuet, and muſke, incorporate them together, and work them into wha
- A similar secretion produced by the otter and the civet.
- A synthetic organic compound used as a substitute for the above.
- The odour of musk.
- Body odor, especially when aroused or unwashed. I was so excited I could smell my own musk.
- A musk deer (genus Moschus).
- A muskflower (Erythranthe moschata).
- A plant of the genus Erodium (Erodium moschatum); the musky heronsbill.
- A plant of the genus Muscari; grape hyacinth.
- A small tree or tall shrub, Olearia argophylla, of south-eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania, with leaves that produce a musky aroma. [W]here the gullies are fringed with blackwoods, wattle, myrtles, musks and sassafras[.]
verb musks · musking · musked
- To perfume with musk.
Musk²
Where it comes from
* English (mainly Suffolk): variant of Must, itself as a surname of English origin from Middle English must (“must (fermenting juice)”).
* English (mainly Suffolk): alternatively perhaps in some cases from Middle English muske (“musk”).
* Americanized form of Dutch Musch, from Middle Dutch mussche (“sparrow”; modern Dutch mus).
* Dutch: nickname or metonymic occupational name from muskus (“musk”).
proper noun Musks
- A surname. Since the announcement, Musk reposted claims on his social media platform X that $20,000 of American tax dollars are spent on drag shows in Ecuador, $750,000 to operate the fire alarm at the New York Metropolitan Opera House, and $350,000 to develop AI smart toilets.
- A locality in the Shire of Hepburn, central western Victoria, Australia.
MuSK³
- /mʌsk/ UK
Sounds like musk · Rhymes with -ʌsk
noun
- Abbreviation of muscle-specific kinase
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: bovine, ox, oxen, beef, horse, stinkpot, cart, mosque, muskat, muskball, musk cat, manscent, musk melon, muskophile, muskadel, muskmobile
Translations
Every language
Talk about this word "musk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/musk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. musk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/musk "musk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/musk.Cite this
@misc{musk_2026,
title = {musk},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/musk},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
