husk

1 material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds [syn: chaff, shuck, stalk, straw, stubble]

2 outer membranous covering of some fruits or seeds v : remove the husks from; "husk corn" [syn: shell]

English

Pronunciation

/hʌsk/

Etymology 1

Probably from Low German hūske ‘little house, sheath’ (cognate with Middle Dutch huskjin > Dutch huisken), diminutive of hūs ‘house’.

Noun

1. The dry, leafy or stringy exterior of certain vegetables or fruits, which must be removed before eating the meat inside

   A coconut has a very thick husk.

2. Any form of useless, dried-up, and subsequently worthless exterior of something

   His attorney was a dried up husk of a man, ready for the grave, with one foot already inside and another on a banana peel.

Translations

• Dutch: Schil
• German: Hülse (1,2)
• Icelandic: hýði , skel
• Spanish: cáscara

Verb

1. To remove husk(s) from.

Translations

• Icelandic: afhýða

Etymology 2

Partly imitative, partly from Etymology 1, above, influenced by husky.

Verb

1. To say huskily, to utter in a husky voice.
   • The French captain did not immediately respond; he looked at his men with a miserable expression [...]; still he hesitated, drooped, and finally husked, "Je me rends," with a look still more wretched. — Naomi Novik, "His Majesty's Dragon"

See also

• husky

References

The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary, 2nd Ed., Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 1978

Danish

Verb

husk

1. to remember

Husk (or hull) in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed.

Noun

It usually refers to the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize (corn) as it grows on the plant. Literally, a husk or hull includes the protective outer covering of a seed, fruit or vegetable. It can also refer to the exuvia of bugs or small animals left behind after moulting.

Plantago-seed mucilage is often referred to as husk, or psyllium husk.

Verb

To husk corn is to remove its inner layers leaving only the cob or seed rack of the corn.

uses 1. sausages 2. fertilizers

See also

• Chaff
• Bran

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