husk

CEFRC2

/hʌsk/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The dry outer covering of a seed or grain.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Any form of useless, dried up, and subsequently worthless exterior of something.

Examples

  • He's just a husk of his former self.

  • I am going to husk rice.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
4

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The supporting frame of a run of millstones.

  2. The dry, leafy or stringy exterior of certain vegetables or fruits, which must be removed before eating the meat inside.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To remove husks from.

More examples

In context

  • A coconut has a very thick husk.

  • His attorney was a dried-up husk of a man.

  • Let's husk the coconut.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

To get the corn kernels, you must remove the green blank that covers the cob.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English huske, husk (“husk”). Perhaps from Old English *husuc, *hosuc (“little covering, sheath”), diminutive of hosu (“pod, shell, husk”), from Proto-West Germanic *hosā, from Proto-Germanic *husǭ (“covering, shell, leggings”), from Proto-Indo-European *kawəs- / kawes- (“cover”). If so, equivalent to hose + -ock. Alternatively from Middle Low German hûs(e)ken, hü̂seken (“little house, sheath”), Middle Dutch husekijn (“little house, core of fruit, case”), diminutive of hûs (“house”). Compare Dutch huisje, German Häuschen, both also used for “snailshell”.