Muzzle Means Both a Snout and a Restraint
A muzzle is an animal's snout, a device fitted over it, and the open end of a gun barrel.
A muzzle is the projecting nose and mouth of an animal, and the guard fitted over it. The gun sense follows the shape: the muzzle is the open end of the barrel, which gives *muzzle velocity* and *muzzle-loading*. The figurative verb — to muzzle the press — means to silence, drawing directly on the restraining device.
- An animal's snout. *A dog's muzzle.*
- A restraining guard. *Fit a muzzle.*
- The open end of a gun. *Muzzle velocity.*
- To silence. *Muzzle the press.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | muzzle | A wire muzzle. |
| Plural | muzzles | Two muzzles. |
| Verb | muzzle | Muzzle the dog. |
| Compound | muzzle-loading | A muzzle-loading rifle. |
| Related | nuzzle | Nuzzle against. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Muzzle velocity is measured at the barrel's end.Ballistics.
- Some breeds must be muzzled in public.UK law.
- Attempts to muzzle the press.Figurative.
Muzzle compounds
- Muzzle velocity — the speed of a projectile as it leaves the barrel
- Muzzle-loading — loaded from the front, superseded by breech-loading
- Muzzle flash — the visible burst of burning gas
- Muzzle brake — a device redirecting gas to reduce recoil
- Basket muzzle — a design allowing a dog to pant and drink
From Old French *musel*, a snout, from Medieval Latin *musellum*, a diminutive of *musum*, a snout.
Are muzzle and nuzzle related?
Probably. Nuzzle appears to derive from the nose, and the two words share the same area of meaning.
Why is a gun's end a muzzle?
By analogy with an animal's projecting snout, and the word came to name the opening from which the projectile emerges.