musk

[ muhsk ]

/ mʌsk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR musk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

an artificial imitation of the substance.

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

the odor of musk or some similar odor.

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

Nearby words

musigny, musil, musing, musique concrète, musjid, musk, musk bag, musk deer, musk duck, musk hog, musk mallow

Origin of musk

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for musk

Nothing could better describe the differences between Branson and Musk than these two events.
Tycoons in Space: One in Orbit and One Still Grounded|Clive Irving|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Musk is there, too, having taken a three-year lease at Spaceport for testing reusable rockets.
Tycoons in Space: One in Orbit and One Still Grounded|Clive Irving|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like Ford, Musk started by building a high-end sports car that would be a toy for the ultra-rich.
From the Model T to the Model S|The Daily Beast|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like Ford, Musk knew that Tesla could only become a significant player if it were to democratize the electric car.
From the Model T to the Model S|The Daily Beast|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

When Musk decided he want to make electric cars, he was confronting the world that Ford had pioneered.
From the Model T to the Model S|The Daily Beast|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
THE generality of naturalists are of opinion that the perfume called civet, or musk, is furnished only by one species of animals.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Only, of course, she would not have smelled so of musk and—there is no denying it—of garlic.
California|Mary Austin
It is always possible to unite colonies by making the bees smell of some strong-smelling stuff, such as musk.
Animal Intelligence|George J. Romanes
The male is almost as much disproportionately larger than the female as the Musk drake is in comparison with his mate.
Sheep, Swine, and Poultry|Robert Jennings
From here we detected a family of four musk oxen asleep not far from another group of rocks.
My Attainment of the Pole|Frederick A. Cook

British Dictionary definitions for musk

musk

/ (mʌsk) /

noun

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

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

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 scentSee also monkey flower

the smell of musk or a similar heady smell

(modifier) containing or resembling muskmusk oil; a musk flavour

Word Origin for musk

C14: from Late Latin muscus, from Greek moskhos, from Persian mushk, probably from Sanskrit mushká scrotum (from the appearance of the musk deer's musk bag), diminutive of mūsh mouse

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