Husk Meaning

/hʌsk/
C2

Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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

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

I am going to husk rice.
Let's husk the coconut.
He's just a husk of his former self.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
To get the corn kernels, you must remove the green ____ that covers the cob.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You need to remove the green ____ from the corn before you can cook and eat it.

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”.

"Unlike dogs, cats have retractable claws which do not wear down when walking. Instead, cats pull the old husk of nail from their claws by raking them down some convenient piece of wood, to expose a new sharp claw underneath." — 1991, Morgan Kerr, Norman Kerr, An Introduction to Cat Care, page 63:
"The symptoms of Husk are a constant cough, rapid loss of flesh, difficulty in breathing and, in the later stages, loss of appetite and diarrhœa." — 1876, John Walker, How to Farm with Profit Arable and Pasture Land: A Practical Manual on Modern Agriculture, London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co, page 78:
"Back on the veranda he said to Lace gravely, "I do believe that poor child's in the family way." Lace, tracing the pattern of the matting with his boot, husked, and murmured, "Yes — I think so." — 1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter XI, in Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, published 1943, page 181:
"The French captain did not immediately respond; he looked at his men with a miserable expression [...]; still he hesitated, drooped, and finally husked, "Je me rends," with a look still more wretched." — 2006, Naomi Novik, His Majesty's Dragon, Del Rey Books, page 5:

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CEFR Practice Quiz
To get the corn kernels, you must remove the green ____ that covers the cob.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You need to remove the green ____ from the corn before you can cook and eat it.

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