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.

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.

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