musk

American  

[muhsk] / mʌsk /

noun

1. a substance secreted in a glandular sac under the skin of the abdomen of the male musk deer, having a strong odor, and used in perfumery.

2. an artificial imitation of the substance.

3. a similar secretion of other animals, as the civet, muskrat, and otter.

4. the odor of musk or some similar odor.

5. Botany. any of several plants, as the monkey flower, having a musky fragrance.

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musk British  

/ mʌsk /

noun

1. a strong-smelling glandular secretion of the male musk deer, used in perfumery

2. a similar substance produced by certain other animals, such as the civet and otter, or manufactured synthetically

3. any of several scrophulariaceous plants of the genus Mimulus, esp the North American M. moschatus, which has yellow flowers and was formerly cultivated for its musky scent See also monkey flower

4. the smell of musk or a similar heady smell

5. (modifier) containing or resembling musk

   musk oil

   a musk flavour

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Etymology

Origin of musk

1350–1400; Middle English musk ( e ) (< Middle French musc ) < Late Latin muscus ( Medieval Latin moschus ) < Late Greek móskos, móschos < Persian mushk

Example Sentences

To make it happen, the firm turned to Google Cloud, which sent a handful of AI engineers armed with Gemini models to spend a day sniffing floral musk, and then managed to crack the code.

From The Wall Street Journal

Roz crested a small ridge and surprised a herd of musk oxen.

From Literature

Up close and personal, the musk of the odor dissipated, and I breathed in the grounding spice of the cedar and the energizing citrus notes of the Douglas fir.

From Los Angeles Times

“Did elon musk just hit the roman salute at his inauguration speech?”

From Salon

They included a horseshoe bat called Rhinolophus mabuensis and a dwarf musk shrew which scientists are still in the process of naming and describing.

From BBC

Related Words

• aroma
• flavor
• perfume
• smell
• stench
• stink
• whiff