मुष्क

See also: मूषक and मूषिक

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মুষ্ক (Assamese script)
• ᬫᬸᬱ᭄ᬓ (Balinese script)
• মুষ্ক (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰲𑰬𑰿𑰎 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑀼𑀱𑁆𑀓 (Brahmi script)
• မုၑ္က (Burmese script)
• મુષ્ક (Gujarati script)
• ਮੁਸ਼੍ਕ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑍁𑌷𑍍𑌕 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦸꦰ꧀ꦏ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂳𑂭𑂹𑂍 (Kaithi script)
• ಮುಷ್ಕ (Kannada script)
• មុឞ្ក (Khmer script)
• ມຸຩ຺ກ (Lao script)
• മുഷ്ക (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᡠᢢᡬᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘳𑘬𑘿𑘎 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠤᢔᢉᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧔𑧌𑧠𑦮 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐸𑐲𑑂𑐎 (Newa script)
• ମୁଷ୍କ (Odia script)
• ꢪꢸꢰ꣄ꢒ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆶𑆰𑇀𑆑 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖲𑖬𑖿𑖎 (Siddham script)
• මුෂ‍්ක (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑩒𑪀 𑪙𑩜 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚰𑚶𑚊 (Takri script)
• முஷ்க (Tamil script)
• ముష్క (Telugu script)
• มุษฺก (Thai script)
• མུ་ཥྐ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒳𑒭𑓂𑒏 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨃𑨯𑩇𑨋 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Traditionally derived from मूष् (mūṣ, “mouse”) +‎ -क (-ka, diminutive suffix), the shape of human testicles being compared to mice. However, Lubotsky is skeptical of this derivation due to the short u vowel in मुष्क implying the lack of a laryngeal, as opposed to the long ū in मूष्.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /muʂ.kɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈmuʂ.kɐ/

Noun

मुष्क • (muṣká) stem, m

1. testicle, scrotum
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda
2. (dual number) pudenda muliebria
3. (dubious) an arm
4. a muscular or stout person
5. a thief
6. a crowd, heap, multitude

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of मुष्क (muṣká)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मुष्कः muṣkáḥ	मुष्कौ / मुष्का¹ muṣkaú / muṣkā́¹	मुष्काः / मुष्कासः¹ muṣkā́ḥ / muṣkā́saḥ¹
Vocative	मुष्क múṣka	मुष्कौ / मुष्का¹ múṣkau / múṣkā¹	मुष्काः / मुष्कासः¹ múṣkāḥ / múṣkāsaḥ¹
Accusative	मुष्कम् muṣkám	मुष्कौ / मुष्का¹ muṣkaú / muṣkā́¹	मुष्कान् muṣkā́n
Instrumental	मुष्केण muṣkéṇa	मुष्काभ्याम् muṣkā́bhyām	मुष्कैः / मुष्केभिः¹ muṣkaíḥ / muṣkébhiḥ¹
Dative	मुष्काय muṣkā́ya	मुष्काभ्याम् muṣkā́bhyām	मुष्केभ्यः muṣkébhyaḥ
Ablative	मुष्कात् muṣkā́t	मुष्काभ्याम् muṣkā́bhyām	मुष्केभ्यः muṣkébhyaḥ
Genitive	मुष्कस्य muṣkásya	मुष्कयोः muṣkáyoḥ	मुष्काणाम् muṣkā́ṇām
Locative	मुष्के muṣké	मुष्कयोः muṣkáyoḥ	मुष्केषु muṣkéṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Kalasha: muṣk, muṣ
• → Middle Persian: mwšk' (mušk)
  • Persian: مشک (mošk)
  • → Ancient Greek: μόσχος (móskhos)
    • Greek: μόσχος (móschos)
      • → Romanian: mosc
    • → Late Latin: muscus (see there for further descendants)
    • → Translingual: Moschus
• → Old Armenian: մուշկ (mušk) (via an Iranian language)
  • Armenian: մուշկ (mušk)
• → Telugu: ముష్కము (muṣkamu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “मुष्क”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 824/2.