muse

/mju:z/

Thân thiện

The poet found his muse in the quiet beauty of the garden.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A person or spirit that inspires an artist, writer, or musician: A "muse" is a source of creative inspiration, often personified.
   • (Capitalized: Muse) In Greek mythology, one of the nine goddesses who preside over the arts and sciences: The Muses are daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, each responsible for a specific domain of knowledge or art.

2. Verb:

   • To think about something carefully and for a long time, often in a quiet or dreamy way: To "muse" is to be absorbed in thought, to ponder or reflect deeply on a subject.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The painter found his muse in the woman who lived next door.
  • Calliope, the Muse of epic poetry, was often invoked by ancient poets.
• Verb:
  • She sat by the window, musing on the events of the past week.
  • He mused over the problem for hours before finding a solution.

Advanced Usage

• "To be one's muse": To serve as the primary source of inspiration for someone's creative work.
  • She was the sculptor's muse for over a decade.
• "In a muse": In a state of deep thought or reflection.
  • He was lost in a muse and didn't hear the doorbell.

Variants and Related Words

• Muser (n): A person who muses; a thinker.
  • He was a quiet muser, often lost in his own world.
• Museful (adj): Thoughtful, meditative. (Archaic/rare)
  • She had a museful expression on her face.

Synonyms

• Noun (inspiration): Inspiration, inspiration source, creative spirit.
• Verb (think): Ponder, contemplate, reflect, meditate, ruminate, cogitate.

Related Phrases and Phrasal Verbs

• Muse on/upon/over something: To think deeply about something. This is the standard construction for the verb.
  • He mused upon the meaning of life.
  • She mused over the old photograph.

Related Idioms

• "Wait for one's muse": To delay creative work while waiting for inspiration to arrive.
  • A professional writer can't just wait for their muse; they must write every day.

Học thuật

Noun

1. the source of an artist's inspiration
   • Euterpe was his muse
2. in ancient Greek mythology any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science

Verb

1. reflect deeply on a subject
   • I mulled over the events of the afternoon
   • philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years
   • The scientist must stop to observe and start to excogitate

Từ đồng nghĩa

• muse