also musk-rat, "large aquatic rodent of North America," 1610s, alteration (by association with musk and rat) of an Algonquian word (probably Powhatan), muscascus, literally "it is red," so called for its coloring. From cognate Abenaki moskwas comes variant form musquash (1620s). Dialectal mushrat is by 1890.

American English, short for muskrat (1884) or muskellunge (1889). Also muskie.

"having the characteristic odor of musk," c. 1600, from musk + -y (2). Related: Muskiness.

"one who professes Islam," 1610s, from Arabic muslim "one who submits" (to the faith), from root of aslama "he resigned." Related to Islam. From 1777 as an adjective.

"to make untidy, put in a state of disorder," 1837, American English, probably a variant of mess in its sense of "to disorder." It was attested earlier (1830) as a noun meaning "disturbance, state of confusion." Related: Mussed; mussing.

"edible bivalve mollusk," Middle English muscle, from Old English muscle, musscel, from Late Latin muscula (source of Old French musle, Modern French moule, Middle Dutch mosscele, Dutch mossel, Old High German muscula, German Muschel), from Latin musculus "mussel," literally "little mouse," also "muscle;" like muscle, derived from mus "mouse" on the perceived similarity of size and shape (see mouse (n.)). The modern spelling, distinguishing the word from muscle, is recorded from c. 1600 but was not fully established until 1870s.

also Musselman, archaic word for "a Muslim," 1560s, from Turkish musulman, from Persian musulman (adj.), from Arabic muslim (see Muslim) + adjective suffix -an.

"rumpled, disordered, untidy," 1859, from muss + -y (2). Related: Mussiness.