muck

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   dirt, mud, manure, or other wet and unpleasant matter

   The boots were coated in muck after the walk across the flooded field.

2. 2
   noun

   something morally corrupt, worthless, or distasteful

   The editor refused to publish gossip that she considered pure muck.

3. 3
   verb

   to remove dirt or manure, or to make something dirty

   They mucked out the stable before bringing in fresh straw.

Common collocations

• muck up Verb + adverb
• muck around Verb + adverb

From Middle English mok or muk, probably from Old Norse myki, 'dung,' and ultimately related to a Germanic root for slippery or wet matter. The concrete senses of dung and mud later broadened figuratively to worthless, corrupt, or dirty material.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images