muse

¹

[ myooz ]

verb (used without object)

, mused, mus·ing.

1. to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject.

   Synonyms: deliberate, contemplate, ponder, dream, think, ruminate, cogitate

2. Archaic. to gaze meditatively or wonderingly.

verb (used with object)

, mused, mus·ing.

1. to meditate on.

   Synonyms: deliberate, contemplate, ponder

2. to comment thoughtfully or ruminate upon.

Muse

²

[ myooz ]

noun

1. Classical Mythology.
   1. any of a number of sister goddesses, originally given as Aoede (song), Melete (meditation), and Mneme (memory), but latterly and more commonly as the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over various arts: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (lyric poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (religious music), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy); identified by the Romans with the Camenae.
   2. any goddess presiding over a particular art.
2. (sometimes lowercase) the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker, or the like.
3. (lowercase) the genius or powers characteristic of a poet.

MUSE

³

abbreviation for

1. Mainstream U.S. English: a dialect of American English that is considered to be standard or unmarked by dialectal variation in pronunciation, syntactic structures, or vocabulary, and that is heard in newscasts and taught in schools.

muse

¹

/ mjuːz /

noun

1. a goddess that inspires a creative artist, esp a poet

Muse

²

/ mjuːz /

noun

1. 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

muse

³

/ mjuːz /

verb

1. whenintr, often foll by on or about to reflect (about) or ponder (on), usually in silence
2. intr to gaze thoughtfully

noun

1. archaic.
   a state of abstraction

Derived Forms

• ˈmuseful, adjective
• ˈmuser, noun
• ˈmusefully, adverb

Other Words From

• muser noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of muse¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English musen “to mutter, gaze meditatively on, be astonished,” from Middle French muser, perhaps ultimately derivative of Medieval Latin mūsum “snout”; muzzle

Origin of muse²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English Muse, from Middle French, from Latin Mūsa, from Greek Moûsa

Origin of muse³

First recorded in 1995–2000; by abbreviation

Word History and Origins

Origin of muse¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin Mūsa, from Greek Mousa a Muse

Origin of muse²

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

Example Sentences

Muse was looking to regain custody of her four children—Justin, Sarah, Patrick and Rachel.

From The Daily Beast

There are numerous paintings and drawings of Olga, who served as Picasso's muse for many years.

From The Daily Beast

Many celebrities, it seems, are saddling up into fashion muse side jobs.

From The Daily Beast

He follows his own muse—he's a world-class weirdo—but at the same time, he's never solely concerned with pleasing himself.

From The Daily Beast

West told the paper he was in Italy to look at textiles and designs for the fashion label for which Kardashian is his muse.

From The Daily Beast

Soon after the importation of the "durned weed" from Virginia the tobacco muse gave forth many a lay concerning the custom.

From Project Gutenberg

A lamp stood on the chimney-piece shedding its rays over the Muse in one of her most bewitching aspects.

From Project Gutenberg

The summer passed; and Thyrsis found to his dismay that his relentless muse had not yet permitted him to write a word.

From Project Gutenberg

Indeed, to call a work of art purely and simply "scientific," is tantamount to saying that it is dry and uninspired by the muse.

From Project Gutenberg

As we went, I kept looking across the water and sighing to myself; and, though I took no heed of it, Alan had fallen into a muse.

From Project Gutenberg