muse: Meaning and Definition of

muse

Pronunciation: (myz), [key]
— v., mused, mus•ing.
—v.i.
  1. to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject.
  2. to gaze meditatively or wonderingly.
—v.t.
  1. to meditate on.
  2. to comment thoughtfully or ruminate upon.

Muse

Pronunciation: (myz), [key]
— n.
    1. any of a number of sister goddesses, originally given as Aoede (song), Melete (meditation), and Mneme (memory), but latterly and more commonly as the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over various arts: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (lyric poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (religious music), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy); identified by the Romans with the Camenae.
    2. any goddess presiding over a particular art.
  1. (sometimes l.c.) the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker, or the like.
  2. (l.c.) the genius or powers characteristic of a poet.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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