Muzzle | Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Mŭz'zle, n.

noun

n. [O. Fr. musel, N. Fr. museau, muzzle or snout, L. Lat. musellus, musellum, musum, Fr. muselière, It. masoliera, muzzle. See MUSROLE.]

Sense 1. The projecting mouth and nose of an animal; snout, as of a horse.

Sense 2. The mouth of a thing; the extreme or end for entrance or discharge; as, the muzzle of a gun.

Sense 3. A fastening for the mouth which stops biting. With golden muzzles all their mouths were bound. Dryden.

Muzzle-lashing, the lashing by which the muzzle of a gun is secured to the upper part of the port in a ship.—Muzzle-ring, the metallic ring or circle that surrounds the mouth of a cannon or other piece.

Mŭz'zle, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. MUZZLED; p. pr. & vb. n. MUZZLING.] [Fr. museler. See supra.] 1. To bind the mouth of; to fasten the mouth of, so as to prevent biting or eating. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. Deut. xxv. 4.

To fondle with the mouth.
To restrain from doing injury; to prevent hurting. “My dagger muzzled.” Shak.

Mŭz'zle, v. i.

verbintransitive

To bring the mouth near. The bear muzzles and smells to him. L'Estrange.