Question 1 · Quick check
musk
CEFRC1
/mʌsk/
noun
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
noun
A strong-smelling substance used in perfumes.
- 02
noun
Extra detailA similar secretion produced by the otter and the civet.
Examples
Musk is one of the best scents.
The scent of musk is one of the best smells there is.
At a glance
Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 1
- Citations
- 2
Deep Dive
noun
Extra meaningsA synthetic organic compound used as a substitute for the above.
A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes.
The odour of musk.
More examples
In contextI was so excited I could smell my own musk.
An old medical record relates that by means of musk the genital power of a man in his eightieth year was resuscitated.
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.
Nearby
Origin
noun
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.