Word of the Day 12.3.08

mus·ter (mstr)

v. mus·tered, mus·ter·ing, mus·ters

v.tr.

1. To call (troops) together, as for inspection.

2. To cause to come together; gather: Bring all the volunteers you can muster.

3. To call forth; summon up: mustering up her strength for the ordeal. See Synonyms at call.

v.intr.

To assemble or gather: mustering for inspection.

n.

1.

a. A gathering, especially of troops, for service, inspection, review, or roll call.

b. The persons assembled for such a gathering.

2. A muster roll.

3. A gathering or collection: a muster of business leaders at a luncheon.

4. A flock of peacocks. See Synonyms at flock1.

Phrasal Verbs:

muster in

To enlist or be enlisted in military service: She mustered in at the age of 18.

muster out

To discharge or be discharged from military service: He was mustered out when the war ended.

Idiom:

pass muster

To be judged as acceptable.


[Middle English mustren, from Old French moustrer, from Latin mnstrre, to show, from mnstrum, sign, portent, from monre, to warn; see men-1 in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun

1.

muster – a gathering of military personnel for duty; “he was thrown in the brig for missing muster”

assemblage, gathering – a group of persons together in one place

armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine – the military forces of a nation; “their military is the largest in the region”; “the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker”

2.

muster – compulsory military service

militarisation, militarization, mobilization, mobilisation – act of assembling and putting into readiness for war or other emergency: “mobilization of the troops”

levy en masse, levy – the act of drafting into military service

armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine – the military forces of a nation; “their military is the largest in the region”; “the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker”

Verb

1.

muster – gather or bring together; “muster the courage to do something”; “she rallied her intellect”; “Summon all your courage”

gather, pull together, collect, garner – assemble or get together; “gather some stones”; “pull your thoughts together”

2.

muster – call to duty, military service, jury duty, etc.

send for, call – order, request, or command to come; “She was called into the director’s office”; “Call the police!”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Posted on December 3, 2008 by admin

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