Meaning

noun an odorous glandular secretion from the male musk deer; used as a perfume fixative

noun the scent of a greasy glandular secretion from the male musk deer

originFrom Middle English muske, borrowed from Old French musc, from Late Latin muscus, from Ancient Greek μόσχος (móskhos), from Middle Persian [script needed] (mwšk' /⁠muʃk⁠/) whence Persian مشک (mošk). Ultimately from Sanskrit मुष्क (muṣka, “testicle”), the shape of the gland of animals secreting the substance being compared to human testicles, a diminutive of मूष् (mūṣ, “mouse”), the shape of human…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0