What does "musk" mean?
A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes.
Musk
/mʌsk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes.
- Grammar: musk is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ambergris, ambrosia, aromatic, aromatic gum.
- Useful contrasts: absorb musk, deodorize, lose musk.
- Usage evidence: Musk is one of the best scents.
How to use "musk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "musk" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "musk" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "musk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "musk" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "musk" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ambergris" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "musk", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes. countable, uncountable
"Your onely way to make a good pomander, is this. Take an ownce of the pureſt garden mould, clenſed and ſteeped ſeauen daies in change of motherleſſe roſe water, then take the beſt Labdanum, Benioine, both Storaxes, amber greece, and Ciuet, and muſke, incorporate them together, and work them into what form you pleaſe; this, if your breath bee not to valiant, will make you ſmell as ſweete as my Ladies dogge."
- 2 Abbreviation of muscle-specific kinase. abbreviation, alt-of
- 3 the scent of a greasy glandular secretion from the male musk deer wordnet
- 4 A similar secretion produced by the otter and the civet. countable, uncountable
- 5 an odorous glandular secretion from the male musk deer; used as a perfume fixative wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 A synthetic organic compound used as a substitute for the above. countable, uncountable
- 7 The odour of musk. countable, uncountable
- 8 A musk deer (genus Moschus). countable, uncountable
- 9 A muskflower (Erythranthe moschata). countable, uncountable
- 10 A plant of the genus Erodium (Erodium moschatum); the musky heronsbill. countable, uncountable
- 11 A plant of the genus Muscari; grape hyacinth. countable, uncountable
- 12 The scent of human genitalia when aroused or unwashed. colloquial, countable, slang, uncountable, vulgar
"I was so excited I could smell my own musk."
Verb
- 1 To perfume with musk. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A surname.; Elon Musk (b. 1971), entrepreneur and business magnate.
"Since the announcement, Musk reposted claims on his social media platform X that $20,000 of American tax dollars are spent on drag shows in Ecuador, $750,000 to operate the fire alarm at the New York Metropolitan Opera House, and $350,000 to develop AI smart toilets."
- 3 A locality in the Shire of Hepburn, central western Victoria, Australia.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Musk is one of the best scents."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "musk"?
Common synonyms include: ambergris, ambrosia, aromatic, aromatic gum, aromatic note, aromatic water.
How do you use "musk" in a sentence?
Musk is one of the best scents.
How do you pronounce "musk"?
Pronounced /mʌsk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English muske, borrowed from Old French musc, from Late Latin muscus, from Ancient Greek μόσχος (móskhos), from Middle Persian [script needed] (mwšk' /muʃk/) whence Persian مشک (mošk). Ultimately from Sanskrit मुष्क (muṣka, “testicle”), the shape of the gland of animals secreting the substance being compared to human testicles, a diminutive of मूष् (mūṣ, “mouse”), the shape of human testicles being compared to mice, from Proto-Indo-European *muh₂s (“mouse”). Cognate with mouse.
Etymology 2
* English (mainly Suffolk): variant of Must, itself as a surname of English origin from Middle English must (“must (fermenting juice)”). * English (mainly Suffolk): alternatively perhaps in some cases from Middle English muske (“musk”). * Americanized form of Dutch Musch, from Middle Dutch mussche (“sparrow”; modern Dutch mus). * Dutch: nickname or metonymic occupational name from muskus (“musk”).