English word origin

Etymology of muse

From Middle French muse, from Latin Mūsa, from Ancient Greek Μοῦσα (Moûsa).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Of a person: a source of inspiration. · A poet; a bard.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle French muse, from Latin Mūsa, from Ancient Greek Μοῦσα (Moûsa).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*men- (think)ine-pro
Unspecified derivation mentionmusefrm
Unspecified derivation mentionMūsala
Unspecified derivation mentionΜοῦσαgrc

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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      "args": {
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        "2": "frm",
        "3": "muse"
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    },
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        "2": "la",
        "3": "Mūsa"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

An act of musing; a period of thoughtfulness.

verb

To become lost in thought, to ponder. · To say (something) with due consideration or thought. · To think on; to meditate on. · To wonder at.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English musen, from Old French muser.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionmusenenm
Unspecified derivation mentionmuserfro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

A gap or hole in a hedge, fence, etc. through which a wild animal is accustomed to pass; a muset.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French musse. See muset.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unspecified derivation mentionmussefr

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for muse →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bXVzZQ