n.1 a strong-smelling reddish-brown substance produced by a gland in the male musk deer and used as an ingredient in perfumes.
2 the plant, Mimulus moschatus, with pale-green ovate leaves and yellow flowers (orig. with a smell of musk which is no longer perceptible in modern varieties).
Phrases and idioms:
musk deer any small Asian deer of the genus Moschus, having no antlers and in the male having long protruding canine teeth. musk duck the Australian duck Biziura lobata, having a musky smell. musk melon the common yellow or green melon, Cucumis melo, usu. with a raised network of markings on the skin. musk ox a large goat-antelope, Ovibos moschatus, native to N. America, with a thick shaggy coat and small curved horns. musk-rose a rambling rose, Rosa moschata, with large white flowers smelling of musk. musk thistle a nodding thistle, Carduus nutans, whose flowers have a musky fragrance. musk-tree (or -wood) an Australian tree, Olearia argophylla, with a musky smell.
Derivatives:
musky adj. (muskier, muskiest). muskiness n.
Etymology: ME f. LL muscus f. Pers. musk, perh. f. Skr. muska scrotum (from the shape of the musk deer's gland)