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Muse vs Mush - What's the difference?

muse | mush |

In intransitive terms the difference between muse and mush

is that muse is to become lost in thought, to ponder while mush is to walk, especially across the snow with dogs.

In transitive terms the difference between muse and mush

is that muse is to wonder at while mush is to notch, cut, or indent (cloth, etc.) with a stamp.

As an interjection mush is

a directive given (usually to dogs or a horse) to start moving, or to move faster.

As a proper noun Mush is

a historically Armenian city in the Turuberan province of Greater Armenia, now in eastern Turkey.

muse

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) muse, from (etyl) .

Noun

(s)
  • A source of inspiration.
  • (archaic) A poet; a bard.
    • (Milton)
    Usage notes
    The plural musae'' can also be found, though it is much rarer than ''muses .
    Related terms
    * museum * music

    Etymology 2

    First attested in 1340. From (etyl) muser.

    Verb

    (mus)
  • To become lost in thought, to ponder.
  • To say (something) with due consideration or thought.
  • * (seeCites)
  • To think on; to meditate on.
  • * (rfdate) Thomson
    • Come, then, expressive Silence, muse his praise.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=David Simpson
    • , volume=188, issue=26, page=36, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Fantasy of navigation , passage=It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: […];  […]; or perhaps to muse on the irrelevance of the borders that separate nation states and keep people from understanding their shared environment.}}
  • To wonder at.
    • (Shakespeare)
    Synonyms
    * See also
    Related terms
    * muser * musing

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An act of musing; a period of thoughtfulness.
  • * 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , I.xii:
    • still he sate long time astonished / As in great muse , ne word to creature spake.
  • * 1978 , (Lawrence Durrell), Livia , Faber & Faber 1992 (Avignon Quintet), p. 416:
    • He fell into a muse and pulled his upper lip.

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) musse. See muset.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A gap or hole in a hedge, fence, etc. through which a wild animal is accustomed to pass; a muset.
    • Find a hare without a muse . (old proverb)

    Anagrams

    * ----

    mush

    English

    Etymology 1

    Probably a variant of mash, or from a dialectal variant of (etyl) mos . See also .

    Noun

    (mushes)
  • (uncountable) A mess, often of food; a soft or semisolid substance.
    • Mom said to add the potatoes to the mush .

    Verb

  • To squish so as to break into smaller pieces or to combine with something else.
    • He mushed the ingredients together.

    Derived terms

    * apple-mush * mushy

    See also

    * mash * moosh

    Etymology 2

    Simple contraction of mushroom.

    Noun

    (mushes)
  • (Quebecois English, slang) magic mushrooms
    • Synonyms
    * shroom (slang)

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) muos and (etyl) , or any thick preparation of fruit.

    Noun

    (-)
  • A food comprising cracked or rolled grains cooked in water or milk; porridge.
  • (rural USA) cornmeal cooked in water and served as a porridge or as a thick sidedish like grits or mashed potatoes.

    • Etymology 4

    Believed to be a contraction of mush on, in turn a corruption of (etyl) , the cry of the voyageurs and coureurs de bois to their dogs.

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • A directive given (usually to dogs or a horse) to start moving, or to move faster.
    • When the lone cowboy saw the Indians, he yelled mush , cha, giddyup!

    Noun

    (mushes)
  • A walk, especially across the snow with dogs.

    • Verb

  • To walk, especially across the snow with dogs.
  • To drive dogs, usually pulling a sled, across the snow.
  • * 1910 , Jack London,
    • Together the two men loaded and lashed the sled. They warmed their hands for the last time, pulled on their mittens, and mushed the dogs over the bank and down to the river-trail.

    Etymology 5

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

    (mushes)
  • (British, primarily Southern England, slang) A form of address to a man.
  • :* "'Oy, mush ! Get out of it!'
    That's what we'd say
    Barging the locals
    Out of the way"
    — MAUREEN AND DOREEN AND NOREEN AND ME'', ''Peculiar Poems , [http://www.jclamb.com/]
  • :* "When I'm around it's not uncommon for someone to call me and say :'Oy mush , get your bum over here and give us a hand.'" — THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING: In Which King Arthur Uther Pendragon Grants An Interview [http://arthurpendragon.ukonline.co.uk/arthur.html]
  • (British, primarily Northern England, slang) The face
  • :* "My ugly mush finally found its way onto the www, but not in the manner to which I deserved." — [http://owlfarm.pmgr.net/aspen/hst16.htm]
  • :* 2002:"I grew my face fungus to cover up an ugly mush ." — [http://www.maggotdrowning.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=809]
  • :* "and your bird has an ugly mush " — [http://b3ta.com/board/archive/21323/]
    • Synonyms
    * (form of address to a man) mate (UK), pal (especially US) * (the face) mug

    References

    * Take Our Word for It Issue 101, accessed on 2005-05-09

    Etymology 6

    Compare (etyl) .

    Verb

  • To notch, cut, or indent (cloth, etc.) with a stamp.

    • Anagrams

    * English heteronyms English intransitive verbs English terms with multiple etymologies ----