May 17, 2013
muse (verb)
\MYOOZ\ Hear it!
What does it mean?
: ponder, meditate
How do you use it?
During the bus ride home, Kendra mused upon the new writing assignment that her teacher called "The World According to Me."
Are you a word wiz?

We've shown you how "muse" can be used as a verb, but "muse" can also function as another part of speech. What other role do you think "muse" can have?

The right choice today is answer D. And here's a fact to consider while musing over the answer: the two "muses" we're discussing come from different roots. The verb, meaning "to ponder, meditate," comes from a Middle French word that means "the mouth of an animal" (think how absorbed a dog can become with a scent it's sniffing). The noun we're thinking of originated with the Muses of Greek mythology, the nine sister goddesses who presided over and inspired music, poetry, art, and science. Anyone or anything that inspires an artist can be called that artist's "muse." By the way, there is another noun "muse" that means "a state of deep thought."
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