Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MUSTER

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pronounce MUSTER: Say it "MUSS tur." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: As we check out the word muster, see if you can recall a very close synonym: to m__sh__ things is to organize them so they can be used, as if they're troops getting ready for a battle.   (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)  definition: "Muster" came into English through French. It traces back to the Latin monstrare, meaning "to show, to reveal, or to point out," which explains why it looks a bit like the word "demonstrate." In English, for hundreds of years, "muster" simply meant "to show, to appear, or to explain." And then around 1425, it became popular to use it specifically for an army: to muster an army was to gather them all together so they could be inspected, or exercise, or head off into battle. Pretty soon after that, the figurative sense of mustering caught on. To muster things is to gather them together, or to summon them, as if they're soldiers that you're going to inspect or send into battle. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Verb, often the transitive kind: "He mustered his courage;" "She was offended but mustered a polite response." Also the intransitive kind: "Everyone mustered at dawn." And, sometimes, a noun: "What time is the muster?;" "Here's a muster of peacocks." Yes, peacocks: "muster" is a term of venery for them. Others include "party" and "ostentation." Other forms:  The common ones are "mustered" and "mustering." People who muster are "musterers." A person who's in charge of mustering is the "muster-master."  And a man who's in charge of cleaning up the majority of messes made by the muster-master during the mustering is the "muster-master-moster-messter-mister." Just kidding, but "muster-masters" are real. how to use it: "Muster" is the common, formal word you want when you're emphasizing someone's effort, orderliness, and preparation in the face of a struggle. You can use it literally and talk about soldiers mustering, or about people mustering soldiers. Here's Tolkien: "Captains were shouting, companies were mustering; many already were marching down to the Gate." Or, use it semi-literally and talk about other types of people mustering, or getting mustered, as if they're soldiers. "The players mustered around their coach." "She mustered us at dawn to begin the hike." Or, use it figuratively. Talk about people mustering their courage, mustering the nerve to do something, or mustering a comment or a reply--meaning they do have courage and the ability to comment and such, they can get those things ready and use them, but it does require effort, and there may be a metaphorical battle ahead. You can sound more casual and and say that people are mustering up something, or mustering something up: "He mustered a smile up;" "They mustered up their energy." And you can talk casually about people or things passing muster, meaning they've been inspected and deemed good enough. "We enjoy tons of YouTube content that would never pass muster as primetime TV shows." examples: "She scrambled through the woods, breathing so hard she couldn't muster the air to cry for help."    — Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass, 2012 "I tried to muster some optimism that the next school year would be better."    — Sandra Uwiringiyimana, How Dare the Sun Rise, 2017 has this page helped you understand "muster"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "muster" without saying "rally" or "call together."  try it out: In Anne Ursu's novel Breadcrumbs, Hazel stands face-to-face with a wolf, trying to call for help: "She tried again. The word mustered inside her, air swirled around in her lungs, her vocal cords vibrated, her lips readied. 'Wolf,' Hazel said." With Hazel's situation in mind as an example, talk about a time you had to muster a word or phrase. And did it seem as though you had to muster it, or did it seem to muster inside you on its own? If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game for August is "Heard it in Hamilton." Check out a snippet of lyrics from Hamilton: An American Musical, and see if you can come up with the missing word. You can check your answer by scrolling all the way down.  Try this one today: WASHINGTON:    I decide to divvy up    my forces, they're skittish as the British cut the city up.    This close to giving up, facing mad _____,    I scream in the face of this mass mutiny:    Are these the men with which I am to defend America? Definition of the missing word: "judgment that's given in a careful, thorough, critical way." Number of syllables: 3. review this word: 1. A near opposite of MUSTERED is A. CLUTTERED. B. RELIEVED. C. SCATTERED. 2. In Becoming, Michelle Obama wrote, "Rallies were being planned, strategies mapped, _____ mustered." A. slogans B. banners C. volunteers Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. C Answer to the game question: scrutiny. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.