musth

also must (mŭst)

A periodic state of heightened sexual activity and aggression in adult male elephants, characterized by the discharge of secretions from glands near the eyes and the continuous dribbling of urine.

[Urdu mast, from Persian, drunk, from Middle Persian.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

musth

(mʌst) or

must

(Zoology) (often preceded by in) a state of frenzied sexual excitement in the males of certain large mammals, esp elephants, associated with discharge from a gland between the ear and eye

[C19: from Urdu mast, from Persian: drunk]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

musth

or must

(mʌst)

n.

a state or condition of violent, destructive frenzy occurring with the rutting season in male elephants.

[1870–75; < Urdu mast < Persian: literally, drunk]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

musth - an annual phase of heightened sexual excitement in the males of certain large mammals (especially elephants); is associated with discharge from a gland between the eye and ear; "the frenzied elephant was in musth"

phase, stage - any distinct time period in a sequence of events; "we are in a transitional stage in which many former ideas must be revised or rejected"

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References in periodicals archive

Mark Lautenbach, 33, had tried to move the angry elephant which was in full musth away from the tourist area.

Horny elephant kills top safari ranger and is put down after deadly rampage; Mark Lautenbach had tried to move the angry elephant away from the tourist area before he was trampled to death

An elephant in Mondulkiri died from apparent malnutrition on Saturday after being shackled for over 20 days because it was in musth, a naturally occurring periodic hormone surge.

Elephant in Mondulkiri dies from apparent malnutrition after being shackled

The sexually active states of free-ranging male African elephants (Loxodonta africana): defining musth and non-musth using endocrinology, physical signals, and behaviour.--Horm.

The relationship between physical injury, body condition and stress-related hormone concentrations in free-ranging giraffes

Wuthichai, who described Somsak as an "elephant expert," said the 32-year-old animal was in musth -- a state of high aggression accompanied by a hormonal surge -- when the accident happened.

Celebrity elephant kills owner in Thailand

Zoo officials said the animal was believed to be in musth, a period in which male elephants are more aggressive due to an increase in their hormone levels.

'Action film' elephant kills handler at zoo in northern Thailand

Hodges, "Non-invasive assessment of adrenocortical function in the male African elephant (Loxodonta africana) and its relation to musth," General and Comparative Endocrinology, vol.

Circadian Rhythm and Stress Response in Droppings of Serinus canaria

Musth bulls also rub the temporal area on trees more often which lead to swelling due to temporal bursitis (Sukumar, 2003).

Surgical Management of Temporal Bursitis in an Asian Elephant

Ian and his tracker, Robert, had been tracking a bull, and the spoor told them it was in musth, the rutting condition that makes the normally placid males temporarily psychopathic.

Feeding Frenzy

Musth is a recurrent condition in male elephants which is, characterized by highly aggressive behaviour and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones.

Musth

Rutting behavior of African elephants: the phenomenon of musth. Behaviour 102:283-315.

Viability of a small, geographically-isolated population of Beluga Whales, Delphinapterus leucas: effects of hunting, predation, and mortality events in Cook Inlet, Alaska

Treviso coach Franco Smith musth have given his side a rollicking at half time, and they came out for the second half with much more fight in their bellies.

Blues draw in a classic tale of two halves