husk

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /hʌsk/

Etymology 1

From Middle English huske (“husk”), from Old English *husuc, *hosuc (“little covering, sheath”), diminutive of hosu (“pod, shell, husk”), from Proto-Germanic *husōn, *hausaz (“covering, shell, leggings”), from Proto-Indo-European *kawəs- / kawes- (“cover”). More at hose, -ock.

Alternate etymology derives husk from Low German hūske (“little house, sheath”) (cognate with Middle Dutch huskjin > Dutch huisken, diminutive of hūs (“house”).)

Noun

Wikipedia husk (plural husks)

1. The dry, leafy or stringy exterior of certain vegetables or fruits, which must be removed before eating the meat inside

   A coconut has a very thick husk.

2. Any form of useless, dried-up, and subsequently worthless exterior of something

   His attorney was a dried up husk of a man, ready for the grave, with one foot already inside and another on a banana peel.

Translations

The dry, leafy or stringy exterior of certain vegetables or fruits

Armenian: (of grains) թեփ (hy) (t’ep’) Catalan: clofolla (ca) f. Chamicuro: ijs̈hopa Czech: slupka (cs) f., skořápka (cs) f. Finnish: akana (fi), suojalehti (fi) German: Getreidespelze  (de) f., Hülse (de) f., Schote (de) f. Hebrew: קליפה (he) (klipá) f. Italian: riccio (it) m., buccia (it) f., scorza (it) f.

Portuguese: casca (pt) f. Russian: скорлупа́ (ru) (skorlupá) f. hard, кожура́ (ru) (kožurá) f., шелуха́ (ru) (šeluxá) f. dry Scottish Gaelic: cochall (gd) m. Serbo-Croatian: lupina (sh), ljuska (sh), kožura (sh) Spanish: farfolla (es) f., cáscara (es) f.

Any form of useless, dried-up, and subsequently worthless exterior of something

German: Hülle (de) f. Russian: оболочка (ru) f. Serbo-Croatian: ljuštura (sh), ljuska (sh)

Spanish: farfolla (es) f., cáscara (es) f.

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch Schil German Hülse f. (1,2)

Icelandic hýði n., skel f.

Verb

husk (third-person singular simple present husks, present participle husking, simple past and past participle husked)

1. (transitive) To remove husks from.

Translations

remove husks from

Finnish: puida (fi)

Icelandic: afhýða (is)

Etymology 2

Partly imitative, partly from Etymology 1, above, influenced by husky.

Verb

husk (third-person singular simple present husks, present participle husking, simple past and past participle husked)

1. (transitive) To say huskily, to utter in a husky voice.
   • The French captain did not immediately respond; he looked at his men with a miserable expression [...]; still he hesitated, drooped, and finally husked, "Je me rends," with a look still more wretched. — Naomi Novik, "His Majesty's Dragon"

See also

• husky

References

The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary, 2nd Ed., Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 1978

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Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA: /husk/, [husɡ̊]

Verb

husk

1. imperative of huske (remember)