Muses

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /mjuːzɪz/

Definitions

1. Inspirational figures or entities that invoke creativity and artistic expression are often seen as sources of motivation
2. Creative personifications that inspire art and thought ; engages in prolonged reflection or contemplation
3. Mythical beings believed to stimulate artistic imagination ; to consider or ponder something carefully

Etymology: The plural "muses" is the form of "muse," which has two distinct histories that happen to meet in one spelling. The first comes from ancient Greece, where the Mousai were nine goddesses presiding over poetry, music, dance, and the arts. The Greek name "Moûsa" passed into Latin as "Mūsa" and then into Middle French as "muse," carrying the idea of an inspiring spirit that the poet calls upon for creative power. The second history is far less grand. The verb "to muse," meaning to ponder or reflect, comes from Old French "muser," which meant to gaze idly, to loiter, or to be distracted. That sense of wandering attention is where the thinking meaning grew from. Its ultimate source is a French word "musse," a hiding place, which suggests that a person who was musing had gone off somewhere quiet to be lost in thought.

Synonyms: ponderings, reflections, thoughts, ruminations, meditations

Antonyms: decisions, conclusions, certainties, resolutions, deductions