muse

Definitions

1. 1.(Class. Myth.) One of the nine goddesses who presided over song and the different kinds of poetry, and also the arts and sciences; -- often used in the plural. Granville commands; your aid, O Muses, bring: What Muse for Granville can refuse to sing Pope. Note: The names of the Muses were Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polymnia or Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania.
2. 2.A particular power and practice of poetry. Shak.
3. 3.A poet; a bard. [R.] Milton.
4. 4.To think closely; to study in silence; to meditate. "Thereon mused he." Chaucer. He mused upon some dangerous plot. Sir P. Sidney.
5. 5.To be absent in mind; to be so occupied in study or contemplation as not to observe passing scenes or things present; to be in a brown study. Daniel.
6. 6.To wonder. [Obs.] Spenser. B. Jonson. See Ponder.
7. 7.To think on; to meditate on. Come, then, expressive Silence, muse his praise. Thomson.
8. 8.To wonder at. [Obs.] Shak.
9. 9.Contemplation which abstracts the mind from passing scenes; absorbing thought; hence, absence of mind; a brown study. Milton.
10. 10.Wonder, or admiration. [Obs.] Spenser.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "muse" mean?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is muse.

• What is a particular power and practice of poetry. Shak called?
• What is to think closely; to study in silence; to meditate. "Thereon mused he." Chaucer. He mused upon some dangerous plot. Sir P. Sidney called?
• What is to be absent in mind; to be so occupied in study or contemplation as not to observe passing scenes or things present; to be in a brown study. Daniel called?
• What is to wonder. [Obs.] Spenser. B. Jonson. See Ponder called?
• What is to think on; to meditate on. Come, then, expressive Silence, muse his praise. Thomson called?
• What is contemplation which abstracts the mind from passing scenes; absorbing thought; hence, absence of mind; a brown study. Milton called?