muse

Pronunciation

• IPA: /mjuːz/ (UK); /mjuz/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

The verb is inherited from Middle English musen, borrowed from Old French muser (“to ponder; to loiter”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} of uncertain origin, perhaps from mus “snout”, as if “to stand with one's nose in the air”,^[2][3][4][5] from Medieval Latin mūsum (“muzzle”).^[2][5][6] The noun Muse is borrowed from Old French Muse and from Latin Mūsa,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek Μοῦσα (Moûsa),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root *men- “to think”.^[2][4] The two words are unrelated, though the verb's sense may have been influenced by the noun.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a verb, to be absorbed in thought, to ponder (1340);^[7][3][4] as a noun, one of the nine Muses (late 14th century).^[4][3][7]

Semantic evolution

The Old French verb also meant “to loiter, waste time”, as in amuse.^[4][6] In Middle English muse could also mean “to wonder, marvel” (1340), now rare.^[7][5] The Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, presided over the arts and sciences;^[2][4][7] from the late 14th century the word also meant the goddess who inspires a particular poet,^[4][7] and then any source of inspiration, or a poet (1615).^[7][2][5]

Timeline

• 1340 – verb, to ponder; to wonder.^[7][3]
• c. 1374 – a poet's inspiring goddess.^[7][4]
• c. 1380 – one of the nine Muses.^[3]
• 15th century – noun, a state of deep thought.^[5]
• 1615 – a poet.^[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To be absorbed in thought; to ponder or meditate.
2. To say or consider thoughtfully.
3. (archaic) To wonder or marvel.

Noun

1. (often capitalized) Any of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne in Greek mythology, each presiding over one of the arts or sciences.
2. A source of inspiration, especially for an artist or poet; a guiding spirit.
3. A poet.
4. A state of deep thought or dreamy abstraction.

Word family

• musingly
• muser
• bemuse

Related words

• museum
• music
• musing
• amuse
• muzzle

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press