muzzle
English
A cow's muzzle (protruding part of animal's head)
A dog wearing a muzzle (sense 3) over its muzzle (sense 1)
gun muzzle (sense 4)
Etymology
From earlier muzle, musle, mousle, mussel, mozell, from Middle English mosel, from Old French musel, museau, muzeau (modern French museau), from Late Latin mūsus (“snout”), probably expressive of the shape of protruded lips and/or influenced by Latin mūgīre (“to moo, bellow”). Doublet of museau.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmʌzəl/
Audio (UK) (file)
- Rhymes: -ʌzəl
Noun
muzzle (plural muzzles)
- The protruding part of an animal's head which includes the nose, mouth and jaws.
- Synonym: snout
- 1915, T. S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, in Prufrock and Other Observations, published 1917:
- The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, / The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
- (slang, derogatory, by extension) A person's mouth.
- A device used to prevent an animal from biting or eating, which is worn on its snout.
- (firearms) The mouth or the end for entrance or discharge of a gun, pistol etc., that the bullet emerges from.
- Coordinate term: breech
- (chiefly Scotland) A piece of the forward end of the plow-beam by which the traces are attached.
- Synonym: bridle
- (obsolete, historical) An openwork covering for the nose, used for the defense of the horse, and forming part of the bards in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Derived terms
- muzzle blast
- muzzle booster
- muzzle brake
- muzzle compensator
- muzzle energy
- muzzle flash
- muzzleloader
- muzzleloading
- muzzle velocity
Translations
part of animal's head
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device to stop an animal from biting
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open end of a gun
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Verb
muzzle (third-person singular simple present muzzles, present participle muzzling, simple past and past participle muzzled)
- (transitive) To bind or confine an animal's mouth by putting a muzzle, as to prevent it from eating or biting.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Deuteronomy 25:4:
- Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
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- (transitive, figuratively) To restrain (from speaking, expressing opinion or acting); to gag; to silence; to censor.
- 1919, Boris Sidis, The Source and Aim of Human Progress:
- Man is brow-beaten, leashed, muzzled, masked, and lashed by boards and councils, by leagues and societies, by church and state.
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- (transitive, obsolete) To veil, mask, muffle.
- (transitive, obsolete) To fondle with the closed mouth; to nuzzle.
- 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], OCLC 228727523:
- Venus her self would sit Muzzling and Gazing them in the Eyes
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- (intransitive) To bring the muzzle or mouth near.
- 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], OCLC 228727523:
- The Bear comes directly up to him, Muzzles and Smells to him.
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Derived terms
- muzzler
Translations
to apply a muzzle
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to restrain from speaking or acting
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References
- muzzle in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- “muzzle”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.