husk

American  

[huhsk] / hʌsk /

noun

husks plural

1. the dry external covering of certain fruits or seeds, especially of an ear of corn.

2. the enveloping or outer part of anything, especially when dry or worthless.

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verb (used with object)

husks, present (3rd person singular) husked, past participle, past husking present participle

1. to remove the husk from.

husk ¹ British  

/ hʌsk /

noun

1. the external green or membranous covering of certain fruits and seeds

2. any worthless outer covering

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verb

1. (tr) to remove the husk from

husk ² British  

noun

1. bronchitis in cattle, sheep, and goats, usually caused by lungworm infestation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• husker
  noun
• husklike
  adjective
• unhusked
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• husks
  plural

Participles

• husking
  present
• husked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• husk
  simple
• husks
  simple
• have husked
  perfect
• has husked
  perfect
• am husking
  progressive
• are husking
  progressive
• is husking
  progressive
• have been husking
  perfect progressive
• has been husking
  perfect progressive

Past

• husked
  simple
• had husked
  perfect
• was husking
  progressive
• were husking
  progressive
• had been husking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will husk
  simple
• will have husked
  perfect
• will be husking
  progressive
• will have been husking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of husk

1350–1400; Middle English huske, equivalent to hus- (akin to Old English hosu pod, husk) + -ke, weak variant of -ock

Explanation

A husk is the fibrous covering of a seed or a fruit that's usually removed before you eat it. To make white rice, the husk is removed from the plant, leaving behind a smooth grain. When you hear the word husk, you may think of the thick leaves that cover an ear of corn. Any vegetable, legume, seed, or fruit with a protective covering has a husk, which is also called a hull or chaff. You can use this word as a verb, too: "Are you going to husk all that corn by yourself? It's almost time for dinner!" Some etymologists trace this word back to the Dutch huuskyn, "little house."

Example Sentences

Tears are hard to summon for a man whose soul and spirit have long since departed, leaving behind just the husk of a human being.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Now they are a husk of what they were - and this decline set in long before Nancy arrived and long before St Mirren humbled them at Hampden.

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025

But it will continue leading the court toward becoming, to quote Chief Justice John Roberts’ dismissive description of the key precedent in this case, “a dried husk of whatever people used to think it was.”

From Slate • Dec. 11, 2025

"A white dwarf is the leftover husk of a star that has finished fusing its hydrogen," said Burgasser.

From Science Daily • Nov. 9, 2025

The old fire was seeping back into this strange, wistful husk of my father.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• chaff
• pod
• rind