musth

or must

[ muhst ]

noun

1. a state or condition of violent, destructive frenzy occurring with the rutting season in male elephants, accompanied by the exudation of an oily substance from glands between the eyes and mouth.

musth

/ mʌst /

noun

1. often preceded by in a state of frenzied sexual excitement in the males of certain large mammals, esp elephants, associated with discharge from a gland between the ear and eye

musth

/ mŭst /

1. An annual period of heightened aggressiveness and sexual activity in male elephants.

Word History and Origins

Origin of musth¹

1870–75; < Urdu mast < Persian: literally, drunk

Word History and Origins

Origin of musth¹

C19: from Urdu mast, from Persian: drunk

Example Sentences

"Even elephants in musth do not get violent unless they are provoked," says Dr PS Easa, a member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

From BBC

Her early research focused on musth, a periodic reproductive condition in male elephants that is characterized by testosterone surges and heightened aggression.

From Scientific American

Instead, a bull spends his annual two- or three-month stint of erotic drive searching for willing females in estrus, or fighting with other males in musth, all the while eating relatively little.

From New York Times

Days before the journey, there was a snag: Kavaan unexpectedly went into musth, a period characterized by raging male hormones.

From New York Times

The younger males’ musth subsided, and the rhino killing stopped.

From New York Times