Where does “Musk” come from?
Musk (English) comes from Middle English muske, from Old French musc, from Latin mūscus, from Ancient Greek μόσχος, from Middle Persian mwšk', from Sanskrit मुष्क, from Sanskrit मूष्, from Proto-Indo-European múh₂s — mouse.
Musk (English): A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes
Definitions
- A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes
Ancestry of “Musk”, step by step
Musk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English muske
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | muske | musk; A kind of plant juice |
| 2 | Old French | musc | — |
| 3 | Latin | mūscus | moss |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μόσχος | young shoot or twig; leafstalk, petiole; calf,... |
| 5 | Middle Persian | mwšk' | musk |
| 6 | Sanskrit | मुष्क | testicle, scrotum |
| 7 | Sanskrit | मूष् | mouse; "stealer", "thief" |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | múh₂s | mouse |
via English must
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | must | To do with certainty; To do as a requirement;... |
| 2 | Old English | mōste | had to |
| 3 | Old English | mōtan | to be allowed, be able to, have the opportunity... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *mōtan | to be allowed, to be permitted to, may |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mōtaną | to be allowed, to be permitted to, may |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mōd- | to permit, make able |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | med- | to measure; to give advice; healing |