Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as muskrat, 1.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) See muskrat.
  • noun (Bot.) an umbelliferous plant (Cicuta maculata), having a poisonous root. See Water hemlock.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Muskrat.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun beaver-like aquatic rodent of North America with dark glossy brown fur

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Perhaps of Massachusett origin; akin to Western Abenaki mòskwas.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the Abenaki name for the animal, moskwas.

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Examples

  • Twice or thrice pinnate leaves, toothed like a tenon saw, with conspicuous veins ending in the notches, brand it as the beaver poison, otherwise known as the musquash root and spotted cowbane.

    Some Summer Days in Iowa Frederick John Lazell 1905

  • The musquash, however, as near as I could see, did not turn aside, though he may have hesitated a little, and the Indian said that he saw our fire; but it was evident that he was in the habit of calling the musquash to him, as he said.

    The Maine Woods 1858

  • An acquaintance of mine who was hunting moose in the woods a month after this, tells me that his Indian in this way repeatedly called the musquash within reach of his paddle in the moonlight, and struck at them.

    The Maine Woods 1858

  • The musk-rat, _Fiber zibethecus_, sometimes called musquash from the Algonquin word, _m8sk8éss8_, is found in three varieties, the black, and rarely the pied and white.

    Voyages of Samuel De Champlain — Volume 01 Samuel de Champlain 1601

  • Jimmie held up his hands in horror, until Jack explained that if properly cooked the "musquash" of the Indian was considered very good food and eaten by many French Canadian trappers in the Northwest and

    Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise or, The Dash for Dixie Louis Arundel

  • A frock of white silk velvet brocade, over which was worn a mantle cloak of black chiffon and musquash

    The Little Black Dress | Edwardian Promenade 2010

  • Tall, over-dressed, musquash and those abbreviated sort of shoes with jewelled heels and hardly any uppers — you know the sort of thing.

    Unnatural Death Sayers, Dorothy L.Lord Peter 03 1988

  • Maigret had no idea; the wife of a divisional superintendent usually had to make do with rabbit fur or, at best, musquash and racoon.

    Maigret and Monsieur Charles Simenon, Georges, 1903- 1972

  • I feel no disposition to be satirical, when the trapper's coat emits the odor of musquash even; it is a sweeter scent to me than that which commonly exhales from the merchant's or the scholar's garments.

    Walking 1969

  • The boys made sure of this, not fancying the idea of having to depend upon the musquash alone.

    With Trapper Jim in the North Woods Lawrence J. Leslie

Comments

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  • Cute name.

    September 14, 2009

  • Generally hangs out between the lambdasquash and the nusquash, way down in the pecking order from the alphasquash.

    September 14, 2009