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Added 9 October 2026

husk

/hʌsk/ noun

In Latin: glūma Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about husk at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds.
Outer membranous covering of some fruits or seeds.

verb

Remove the husks from.
husk corn

Origin

From Middle English huske, husk (“husk”). Perhaps from Old English *husuc, *hosuc (“little covering, sheath”), diminutive of hosu (“pod, shell, husk”), from Proto-West Germanic *hosā, from Proto-Germanic *husǭ (“covering, shell, leggings”), from Proto-Indo-European *kawəs- / kawes- (“cover”). If so, equivalent to hose + -ock. Alternatively from Middle Low German hûs(e)ken, hü̂seken (“little house, sheath”), Middle Dutch husekijn (“little house, core of fruit, case”), diminutive of hûs (“house”). Compare Dutch huisje, German Häuschen, both also used for “snailshell”.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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