musth

noun

\ ˈməst

How to pronounce musth (audio)

\

variants: or less commonly must

Definition of musth

: a periodic state of the bull elephant characterized especially by aggressive behavior and usually connected with the rutting season

Examples of musth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite the male—or bull—elephant's seemingly playful behavior, the video also suggests the animal is in a period of musth. — National Geographic, "Watch: Elephant 'Plays' With a Police Car and a Pack of Wild Dogs," 28 July 2017 When the elephants come out of their musth, the mahouts believe the elephants have forgotten their commands. — National Geographic, "New Film Shows Brutalization of Temple Elephants in India," 25 May 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'musth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Time Traveler for musth

The first known use of musth was in 1878

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