Adjacent Words

Muster definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MUS'TER, v.t. [L. monstro, to show.] Properly, to collect troops for review, parade and exercise; but in general, to collect or assemble troops, persons or things. The officers muster their soldiers regularly; they muster all their forces. The philosopher musters all the wise sayings of the ancients.
MUS'TER, v.i. To assemble; to meet in one place.
MUS'TER, n. [L. monstrum, a show or prodigy.]
1. An assembling of troops for review, or a review of troops under arms.
2. A register or roll of troops mustered.
Ye publish the musters of your own bands.
3. A collection, or the act of collecting.
To pass muster, to be approved or allowed.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a gathering of military personnel for duty; "he was thrown in the brig for missing muster"
2: compulsory military service [syn: conscription, muster, draft, selective service] v
1: gather or bring together; "muster the courage to do something"; "she rallied her intellect"; "Summon all your courage" [syn: muster, rally, summon, come up, muster up]
2: call to duty, military service, jury duty, etc.

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English mustre, from Anglo-French mostre, monstre, from mustrer Date: 14th century 1. a representative specimen ; sample 2. a. an act of assembling; specifically formal military inspection b. critical examination c. an assembled group ; collection d. inventory II. verb (mustered; mustering) Etymology: Middle English mustren to show, muster, from Anglo-French mustrer, monstrer, from Latin monstrare to show, from monstrum evil omen, monster — more at monster Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. a. to cause to gather ; convene b. to enroll formally — usually used with in or into <was mustered into the army> c. to call the roll of 2. a. to bring together ; collect b. to call forth ; rouse 3. to amount to ; comprise intransitive verb to come together ; congregate Synonyms: see summon

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 tr. collect (orig. soldiers) for inspection, to check numbers, etc. 2 tr. & intr. collect, gather together. 3 tr. Austral. round up (livestock). --n. 1 the assembly of persons for inspection. 2 an assembly, a collection. 3 Austral. a rounding up of livestock. 4 Austral. sl. attendance (at a meeting, etc.) (had a good muster). Phrases and idioms: muster-book a book for registering military personnel. muster in US enrol (recruits). muster out US discharge (soldiers etc.). muster-roll an official list of officers and men in a regiment or ship's company. muster up collect or summon (courage, strength, etc.). pass muster be accepted as adequate. Derivatives: musterer n. (in sense 3 of n. & v.). Etymology: ME f. OF mo(u)stre ult. f. L monstrare show

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Muster Mus"ter, v. i. To be gathered together for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like; to come together as parts of a force or body; as, his supporters mustered in force. ``The mustering squadron.'' --Byron.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Muster Mus"ter, n. [OE. moustre, OF. mostre, moustre, F. montre, LL. monstra. See Muster, v. t.] 1. Something shown for imitation; a pattern. [Obs.] 2. A show; a display. [Obs.] --Piers Plowman. 3. An assembling or review of troops, as for parade, verification of numbers, inspection, exercise, or introduction into service. The hurried muster of the soldiers of liberty. --Hawthorne. See how in warlike muster they appear, In rhombs, and wedges, and half-moons, and wings. --Milton. 4. The sum total of an army when assembled for review and inspection; the whole number of effective men in an army. And the muster was thirty thousands of men. --Wyclif. Ye publish the musters of your own bands, and proclaim them to amount of thousands. --Hooker. 5. Any assemblage or display; a gathering. Of the temporal grandees of the realm, mentof their wives and daughters, the muster was great and splendid. --Macaulay. Muster book, a book in which military forces are registred. Muster file, a muster roll. Muster master (Mil.), one who takes an account of troops, and of their equipment; a mustering officer; an inspector. [Eng.] Muster roll (Mil.), a list or register of all the men in a company, troop, or regiment, present or accounted for on the day of muster. To pass muster, to pass through a muster or inspection without censure. Such excuses will not pass muster with God. --South.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Muster Mus"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mustered; p. pr. & vb. n. Mustering.] [OE. mustren, prop., to show, OF. mostrer, mustrer, moustrer, monstrer, F. montrer, fr. L. monstrare to show. See Monster.] 1. To collect and display; to assemble, as troops for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like. --Spenser. 2. Hence: To summon together; to enroll in service; to get together. ``Mustering all its force.'' --Cowper. All the gay feathers he could muster. --L'Estrange. To muster troops into service (Mil.), to inspect and enter troops on the muster roll of the army. To muster troops out of service (Mil.), to register them for final payment and discharge. To muster up, to gather up; to succeed in obtaining; to obtain with some effort or difficulty. One of those who can muster up sufficient sprightliness to engage in a game of forfeits. --Hazlitt.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(musters, mustering, mustered) 1. If you muster something such as support, strength, or energy, you gather as much of it as you can in order to do something. He travelled around West Africa trying to muster support for his movement... VERB: V n 2. When soldiers muster or are mustered, they gather together in one place in order to take part in a military action. The men mustered before their clan chiefs... The general had mustered his troops north of the Hindu Kush. = gather VERB: V, V n 3. If someone or something passes muster, they are good enough for the thing they are needed for. I could not pass muster in his language... If it doesn't pass muster, a radio station could have its license challenged. PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Assemble, collect, gather, marshal, congregate, convene, bring together, call together, get together, muster up. II. v. n. Be assembled, meet together, rally. III. n. Gathering, assemblage, collected show, collection.

Moby Thesaurus

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