Link Centre Dictionary

muzzle

UK/ˈmʌzəl/ US/ˈmʌzʌl/ uncommon obsolete slang
noun (4) verb (3)

noun

1.

the open circular discharging end of a gun

Synonyms
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

Synonyms

verb

1.

fit with a muzzle

  • “muzzle the dog to prevent it from biting strangers”
2.

prevent from speaking out

  • “The press was gagged”
Synonyms
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”
Synonyms

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • muzzle blast
  • muzzle booster
  • muzzle brake
  • muzzle compensator
  • muzzle energy
  • muzzle flash
  • muzzle sweep
  • muzzle velocity

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.