Adjacent Words

Muzzle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MUZ'ZLE, n.
1. The mouth of a thing; the extreme or end for entrance or discharge; applied chiefly to the end of a tube, as the open end of a common fusee or pistol,or of a bellows.
2. A fastening for the mouth which hinders from biting.
With golden muzzles all their mouths were bound.
MUZ'ZLE, v.t. To bind the mouth; to fasten the mouth to prevent biting or eating.
Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. Deutoronomy 25.
1. To fondle with the mouth close. [Low.]
2. To restrain from hurt.
My dagger muzzled--
MUZ'ZLE, v.i. To bring the mouth near.
The bear muzzles and smells to him.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the open circular discharging end of a gun [syn: gun muzzle, muzzle]
2: forward projecting part of the head of certain animals; includes the jaws and nose
3: a leather or wire restraint that fits over an animal's snout (especially a dog's nose and jaws) and prevents it from eating or biting
4: restraint put into a person's mouth to prevent speaking or shouting [syn: gag, muzzle] v
1: fit with a muzzle; "muzzle the dog to prevent it from biting strangers" [ant: unmuzzle]
2: prevent from speaking out; "The press was gagged" [syn: gag, muzzle]
3: tie a gag around someone's mouth in order to silence them; "The burglars gagged the home owner and tied him to a chair" [syn: gag, muzzle]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English mosel, from Middle French musel, from Old French *mus mouth of an animal, from Medieval Latin musus Date: 15th century 1. the projecting jaws and nose of an animal ; snout 2. a. a fastening or covering for the mouth of an animal used to prevent eating or biting b. something (as censorship) that restrains normal expression 3. the open end of an implement; especially the discharging end of a weapon II. transitive verb (muzzled; muzzling) Date: 15th century 1. to fit with a muzzle 2. a. gag <muzzled the regime's critics> b. restrain, restrict <the Pentagon's efforts to muzzle press access — Joe Strupp> <the low prices muzzled competition> • muzzler noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 the projecting part of an animal's face, including the nose and mouth. 2 a guard, usu. made of straps or wire, fitted over an animal's nose and mouth to stop it biting or feeding. 3 the open end of a firearm. --v.tr. 1 put a muzzle on (an animal etc.). 2 impose silence upon. 3 Naut. take in (a sail). Phrases and idioms: muzzle-loader a gun that is loaded through the muzzle. muzzle velocity the velocity with which a projectile leaves the muzzle of a gun. Derivatives: muzzler n. Etymology: ME f. OF musel ult. f. med.L musum: cf. MUSE(2)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Muzzle Muz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muzzled; p. pr. & vb. n. Muzzling.] [F. museler.] 1. To bind the mouth of; to fasten the mouth of, so as to prevent biting or eating; hence, figuratively, to bind; to sheathe; to restrain from speech or action. ``My dagger muzzled.'' --Shak. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. --Deut. xxv. 4. 2. To fondle with the closed mouth. [Obs.] --L'Estrange.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Muzzle Muz"zle, n. [OE. mosel, OF. musel, F. museau muzzle or snout, LL. musellus, fr. musus, morsus. See Muse, v. i., and cf. Morsel.] 1. The projecting mouth and nose of a quadruped, as of a horse; a snout. 2. The mouth of a thing; the end for entrance or discharge; as, the muzzle of a gun. 3. A fastening or covering (as a band or cage) for the mouth of an animal, to prevent eating or vicious biting. With golden muzzles all their mouths were bound --Dryden. Muzzle sight. (Gun.) See Dispart, n., 2.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Muzzle Muz"zle, v. i. To bring the mouth or muzzle near. The bear muzzles and smels to him. --L'Estrange.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(muzzles, muzzling, muzzled) 1. The muzzle of an animal such as a dog is its nose and mouth. N-COUNT 2. A muzzle is an object that is put over a dog's nose and mouth so that it cannot bite people or make a noise. ...dogs like pit bulls which have to wear a muzzle. N-COUNT 3. If you muzzle a dog or other animal, you put a muzzle over its nose and mouth. He was convicted of failing to muzzle a pit bull. VERB: V n 4. If you say that someone is muzzled, you are complaining that they are prevented from expressing their views freely. He complained of being muzzled by the chairman... She was opposed to new laws to muzzle the press. = gag VERB: be V-ed, V n [disapproval] 5. The muzzle of a gun is the end where the bullets come out when it is fired. N-COUNT: usu N of n

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Grain in the East is usually thrashed by the sheaves being spread out on a floor, over which oxen and cattle are driven to and fro, till the grain is trodden out. Moses ordained that the ox was not to be muzzled while thrashing. It was to be allowed to eat both the grain and the straw (Deut. 25:4). (See AGRICULTURE.)

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

muz'l (chacam; phimoo) According to the Deuteronomic injunction (De 25:4), the ox was not to be muzzled while treading the grain, i.e. threshing. The muzzle was a guard placed on the mouth of the oxen to prevent them from biting or eating. The threshing ox would have ample opportunity of feeding (compare Ho 10:11). The Deuteronomic injunction is quite in accordance with the humane spirit which inspires it all through. Paul quotes this law in two places (1Co 9:9; 1Ti 5:18) to illustrate his view that the "laborer is worthy of his hire."

T. Lewis

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Snout. 2. Mouth, nozzle.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A beard.

Moby Thesaurus

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