muse

[myooz]

verb (used without object), mused, mus·ing.

to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject.
Archaic. to gaze meditatively or wonderingly.

verb (used with object), mused, mus·ing.

to meditate on.
to comment thoughtfully or ruminate upon.

Origin of muse

1300–50; Middle English musen to mutter, gaze meditatively on, be astonished < Middle French muser, perhaps ultimately derivative of Medieval Latin mūsum muzzle

Related formsmus·er, noun

Can be confusedmews muse

Synonyms for muse

1. cogitate, ruminate, think; dream. 1, 3. ponder, contemplate, deliberate.

Muse

[myooz]

noun

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.
(sometimes lowercase) the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker, or the like.
(lowercase) the genius or powers characteristic of a poet.

Origin of Muse

1350–1400; Middle English Muse < Middle French < Latin Mūsa < Greek Moûsa

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for muses

ponder, ruminate, brood, consider, deliberate, feel, percolate, moon, roll, reflect, contemplate, meditate, revolve, weigh, cogitate, speculate, think

Examples from the Web for muses

Contemporary Examples of muses

“In the camp no-one knows themselves,” muses the monstrous commandant.
How Hitch & Amis Discovered Evil In My House
Peter Foges
September 28, 2014
Though Rabinowitz muses that something like this would not only be impractical but also incite severe backlash.
Porn Fights For Your Right to Surf: Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube Lead Charge For Net Neutrality
Aurora Snow
September 13, 2014
Richard Avedon considered Hepburn one of his muses in the 50s and the two maintained a close professional relationship.
Jonah Hill & Spike Jonze to Write Play For NYFW; Audrey Hepburn’s Granddaughter Makes Her Modeling Debut
The Fashion Beast Team
August 13, 2014
Instead, he muses, why not regulate as if all people need guns, everywhere?
NRA Hipster: Give All Kids a Gun
Brandy Zadrozny
July 23, 2014
She and Balanchine parted ways in the early 50s, and he would have other muses, but Tallchief was the template for them all.
The Deaths You Missed This Year
Malcolm Jones, Jimmy So, Michael Moynihan, Caitlin Dickson
December 30, 2013

Historical Examples of muses

If this be the test, I am willing to be tried with Hipparete at the court of the Muses.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
The Graces were often worshipped in the same temple with the Muses.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
The muses, like vines, may be pruned, but not with a hatchet.
Joseph Andrews, Vol. 2
Henry Fielding
As for the muses, they have as much an idea of a rhinoceros as of a poet.
The Letters of Robert Burns
Robert Burns
They are almost the only favour the muses have conferred on me in that country.
The Letters of Robert Burns
Robert Burns

British Dictionary definitions for muses

muse

verb

(when intr, often foll by on or about) to reflect (about) or ponder (on), usually in silence
(intr) to gaze thoughtfully

noun

archaic a state of abstraction

Derived Formsmuser, nounmuseful, adjectivemusefully, adverb

Word Origin for muse

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

muse

noun

a goddess that inspires a creative artist, esp a poet

Word Origin for muse

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

Muse

noun

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

Word Origin and History for muses

muse

"to reflect, to be absorbed in thought," mid-14c., from Old French muser (12c.) "to ponder, dream, wonder; loiter, waste time," literally "to stand with one's nose in the air" (or, possibly, "to sniff about" like a dog who has lost the scent), from muse "muzzle," from Gallo-Romance *musa "snout," of unknown origin. Probably influenced in sense by muse (n.). Related: Mused; musing.

muse

late 14c., protectors of the arts, from Old French Muse and directly from Latin Musa, from Greek Mousa, "the Muse," also "music, song," from PIE root *men- "to think, remember" (see mind (n.)). Meaning "inspiring goddess of a particular poet" is from late 14c. The traditional names and specialties of the nine Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, are: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (love poetry, lyric art), Euterpe (music, especially flute), Melpomene (tragedy), Polymnia (hymns), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), Urania (astronomy).

muses in Culture

Muses

Nine goddesses of classical mythology who presided over learning and the arts. They were especially associated with poetry. Ancient Greek or Roman writers would often begin their poems by asking for the aid of the Muses in their composition.

Note

Writers and artists to this day speak of their “muse,” meaning their source of inspiration.