muzzle

From earlier muzle, musle, mousle, mussel, mozell, from Middle English mosel, from Old French musel, museau, muzeau (modern French museau), from Late Latin mūsus (“snout”), probably expressive of the shape of protruded lips and/or influenced by Latin mūgīre (“to moo, bellow”). Doublet of museau. Displaced native Middle English kevel from Old English cæfl (“gag, bit, muzzle”), see English cavel.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmʌzəl/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌzəl

muzzle (plural muzzles)

1. The protruding part of an animal's head which includes the nose, mouth and jaws.

   Synonym: snout

   • 1915 June, T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, in Prufrock and Other Observations, London: The Egotist […], published 1917, →OCLC, page 10:

     The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, / The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes, […]

2. (slang, derogatory, by extension) A person's mouth.
3. A device used to prevent an animal from biting or eating, which is worn on its snout.
4. (firearms) The mouth or the end for entrance or discharge of a gun, pistol etc., that the bullet emerges from.

   Coordinate term: breech

5. (chiefly Scotland) A piece of the forward end of the plow-beam by which the traces are attached.

   Synonym: bridle

6. (obsolete, historical) An openwork covering for the nose, used for the defense of the horse, and forming part of the bards in the 15th and 16th centuries.

muzzle (third-person singular simple present muzzles, present participle muzzling, simple past and past participle muzzled)

1. (transitive) To bind or confine an animal's mouth by putting a muzzle, as to prevent it from eating or biting.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 25:4:

     Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.

2. (transitive, figuratively) To restrain (from speaking, expressing opinion or acting); to gag; to silence; to censor.

   Those who want to muzzle everyone else are likely nothing less than pseudovirtuous.

   • 1919, Boris Sidis, The Source and Aim of Human Progress:

     Man is brow-beaten, leashed, muzzled, masked, and lashed by boards and councils, by leagues and societies, by church and state.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To veil, mask, muffle.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To fondle with the closed mouth; to nuzzle.
   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:

     Venus her self would sit Muzzling and Gazing them in the Eyes

5. (intransitive) To bring the muzzle or mouth near.
   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:

     The Bear comes directly up to him, Muzzles and Smells to him.

• muzzler

• “muzzle”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “muzzle”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.