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

Li, who looks to be in her 60s, used to sell Chinese clothes across the border in Muse, a major source of trade with China.

From BBC

Muse, who finished ninth this season, is Afro Panamanian by way of New York.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s a dumb decision,” said Sexton, who owns the Muse Rooms, which offers leased office spaces.

From Los Angeles Times

He also texted Muse: “Bowman is killing goat today finally,” referring to a nearby butcher.

From Los Angeles Times

A staff member at the Northwest ICE Processing Center found the man slumped over in his bed at 10:43 a.m., according to Detective William Muse of the Tacoma Police Department.

From Seattle Times