musing

[ myoo-zing ]
/ ˈmyu zɪŋ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR musing ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

absorbed in thought; meditative.

noun

contemplation; reflection.

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Origin of musing

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at muse, -ing2, -ing1

OTHER WORDS FROM musing

mus·ing·ly, adverbun·mus·ing, adjective

Words nearby musing

musicianship, musicology, musicotherapy, musigny, musil, musing, musique concrète, musjid, musk, musk bag, musk deer

Definition for musing (2 of 2)

muse
[ myooz ]
/ myuz /

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

OTHER WORDS FROM muse

mus·er, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH muse

mews muse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to musing

absorbed, thought, meditation, contemplation, reflection, deliberation, reverie, introspection, pondering, pensiveness, introspective, meditative, thoughtful

Example sentences from the Web for musing

British Dictionary definitions for musing (1 of 3)

muse1
/ (mjuːz) /

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 forms of muse

muser, nounmuseful, adjectivemusefully, adverb

Word Origin for muse

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

British Dictionary definitions for musing (2 of 3)

muse2
/ (mjuːz) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for musing (3 of 3)

Muse
/ (mjuːz) /

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