husk

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the dry outer covering of a seed, fruit, or vegetable

   Remove the papery husk from each ear of corn before cooking it.

2. 2
   noun

   an empty or dried-out outer form left after the important contents are gone

   Only the charred husk of the warehouse remained after the fire.

3. 3
   verb

   to remove the husk from a seed, fruit, or vegetable

   The family sat on the porch to husk the corn.

From Middle English huske, of uncertain origin. It may continue a Germanic word for a covering or sheath, or may be related to Low German and Dutch diminutive forms meaning 'little house.' The figurative sense develops naturally from the idea of an empty outer shell.

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