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View synonyms for muse

muse

1

[ myooz ]

verb (used without object)

, mused, mus·ing.
  1. to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject.

    Synonyms: deliberate, contemplate, ponder, dream, think, ruminate, cogitate

  2. Archaic. to gaze meditatively or wonderingly.


verb (used with object)

, mused, mus·ing.
  1. to meditate on.

    Synonyms: deliberate, contemplate, ponder

  2. to comment thoughtfully or ruminate upon.

Muse

2

[ myooz ]

noun

  1. Classical Mythology.
    1. any of a number of sister goddesses, originally given as Aoede (song), Melete (meditation), and Mneme (memory), but latterly and more commonly as the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over various arts: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (lyric poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (religious music), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy); identified by the Romans with the Camenae.
    2. any goddess presiding over a particular art.
  2. (sometimes lowercase) the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker, or the like.
  3. (lowercase) the genius or powers characteristic of a poet.

MUSE

3

abbreviation for

  1. Mainstream U.S. English: a dialect of American English that is considered to be standard or unmarked by dialectal variation in pronunciation, syntactic structures, or vocabulary, and that is heard in newscasts and taught in schools.

muse

1

/ mjuːz /

noun

  1. a goddess that inspires a creative artist, esp a poet
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


Muse

2

/ mjuːz /

noun

  1. Greek myth any of nine sister goddesses, each of whom was regarded as the protectress of a different art or science. Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the nine are Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

muse

3

/ mjuːz /

verb

  1. whenintr, often foll by on or about to reflect (about) or ponder (on), usually in silence
  2. intr to gaze thoughtfully
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. archaic.
    a state of abstraction
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈmuseful, adjective
  • ˈmuser, noun
  • ˈmusefully, adverb
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Other Words From

  • muser noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of muse1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English musen “to mutter, gaze meditatively on, be astonished,” from Middle French muser, perhaps ultimately derivative of Medieval Latin mūsum “snout”; muzzle

Origin of muse2

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Muse, from Middle French, from Latin Mūsa, from Greek Moûsa

Origin of muse3

First recorded in 1995–2000; by abbreviation
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Word History and Origins

Origin of muse1

C14: from Old French, from Latin Mūsa, from Greek Mousa a Muse

Origin of muse2

C14: from Old French muser, perhaps from mus snout, from Medieval Latin mūsus
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Example Sentences

After Loeffler’s loss, NBA superstar LeBron James mused on Twitter about putting an ownership group together to purchase the Dream.

The next day, by contrast, our buddy-comedy protagonists might muse on themes befitting a comic-strip title that name-checks two lofty thinkers.

I like to imagine all these years later it’s still circulating, reaching all the places Morris mused about in its pages.

Yanis Varoufakis, the former finance minister of Greece and a left-wing icon, has repeatedly mused about the uses of Bitcoin for the left.

From Ozy

This is consistent with the sentiment many artists express that their creative process is being directed by a “muse” or outside agent.

Muse was looking to regain custody of her four children—Justin, Sarah, Patrick and Rachel.

There are numerous paintings and drawings of Olga, who served as Picasso's muse for many years.

Many celebrities, it seems, are saddling up into fashion muse side jobs.

He follows his own muse—he's a world-class weirdo—but at the same time, he's never solely concerned with pleasing himself.

West told the paper he was in Italy to look at textiles and designs for the fashion label for which Kardashian is his muse.

Soon after the importation of the "durned weed" from Virginia the tobacco muse gave forth many a lay concerning the custom.

A lamp stood on the chimney-piece shedding its rays over the Muse in one of her most bewitching aspects.

The summer passed; and Thyrsis found to his dismay that his relentless muse had not yet permitted him to write a word.

Indeed, to call a work of art purely and simply "scientific," is tantamount to saying that it is dry and uninspired by the muse.

As we went, I kept looking across the water and sighing to myself; and, though I took no heed of it, Alan had fallen into a muse.

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Mus.D.museful