Muck
/mʌk/noun
Wet, sticky dirt or dung; by extension, something dirty, messy, or unpleasant.
Did you know?English muck is related to Old Norse myki, meaning “cow dung,” showing how medieval people turned the language of waste into an everyday word for grime and filth.
Etymological Timeline
Old Norse
ON
myki
“cow dung, manure”
Old English
OE
mycg / mucg?
“a related northern borrowing or dialect form used for dung or filth”
Middle English
ME
muk / mucke
“dung, filth, mire”
16th Century
English
muck
“manure; dirt; filth; rubbish”
Modern English
English
muck
“sticky dirt, filth, or something nasty and unpleasant”