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.

Multiword verbs with muck

• muck around Phrasal verb C2

  to spend time idly or on aimless activities, informally

• muck up Phrasal verb C2

  to spoil something or make a mess of it

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Muck entered Middle English from an early Scandinavian word ultimately derived from an ancient root meaning “slippery” or “slimy”; mucus descends from the same root. The verb first meant “remove muck from” or “spread manure,” before developing later expressions such as muck up and muck around.

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

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary