The Muses Gave Us Music and Museums
To muse is to think deeply. A Muse is a goddess of the arts, and she named two familiar words.
To muse is to be absorbed in thought; a muse is a source of artistic inspiration, from the nine Greek goddesses of the arts. Those goddesses named two everyday words: *music*, the art of the Muses, and *museum*, a place devoted to them — originally the great research institution at Alexandria rather than a display of objects. The verb is a separate word: Old French *muser*, to loiter or stare, possibly from *muse*, an animal's muzzle, from the image of standing with your nose in the air.
- To ponder. *Musing on the past.*
- An inspiration. *His muse.*
- A Greek goddess. *The nine Muses.*
- Museum — a place of the Muses. *A museum.*
- Greek — *Mousa*. *The goddess.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | muse | Musing. |
| Noun | muse | A muse. |
| Noun | musing | A musing. |
| Related | museum | A museum. |
| Greek | Mousa | A Muse. |
- He mused on the question.Thought.
- She was his muse.Inspiration.
- Museum means place of the Muses.Etymology.
The nine Muses
- Calliope — epic poetry
- Clio — history
- Erato — love poetry
- Terpsichore — dance
- Urania — astronomy, counted among the arts
The goddess is Greek *Mousa*. The verb is Old French *muser*, to loiter or ponder, of uncertain origin.
Is museum related to the Muses?
Yes. A museum was a place dedicated to the Muses, originally the research institution at Alexandria.
Is the verb muse from the goddesses?
Probably not. It came from Old French muser, to loiter or stare, though the two have long influenced each other.