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musk

American  
[muhsk] / mʌsk /

noun

musks plural
  1. 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.

  2. an artificial imitation of the substance.

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

  4. the odor of musk or some similar odor.

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


musk British  
/ mʌsk /

noun

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

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

  3. 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 scent See also monkey flower

  4. the smell of musk or a similar heady smell

  5. (modifier) containing or resembling musk

    musk oil

    a musk flavour

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of musk

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

Vocabulary lists containing musk

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the years following approval, a growing number of household names from Oprah to Elon Musk spoke publicly about their positive experiences using GLP-1s for weight loss.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

Then Elon Musk tapped Intel to help with his mega-chip fab project.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

That bridge loan, which matures in September 2027, was used to pay off debt from xAI, a startup founded by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026

A representative of Tesla, which is owned by trillionaire Elon Musk, did not respond to a request for comment on the crash or the investigation.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

“It will just take a second. Musk ox fur or fox fur—which is softer?”

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

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