muster

[muhs-ter] /ˈmʌs tər/
verb (used with object)
1.
to assemble (troops, a ship's crew, etc.), as for battle, display, inspection, orders, or discharge.
2.
to gather, summon, rouse (often followed by up):
He mustered all his courage.
verb (used without object)
3.
to assemble for inspection, service, etc., as troops or forces.
4.
to come together; collect; assemble; gather.
noun
5.
an assembling of troops or persons for formal inspection or other purposes.
6.
an assemblage or collection.
7.
the act of mustering.
8.
Also called muster roll. (formerly) a list of the persons enrolled in a military or naval unit.
Verb phrases
9.
muster in, to enlist into service in the armed forces.
10.
muster out, to discharge from service in the armed forces:
He will be mustered out of the army in only two more months.
Idioms
11.
pass muster,
  1. to pass a cursory inspection.
  2. to measure up to a certain standard; be adequate:
    Your grades don't pass muster.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English mostren (v.) < Old French mostrer < Latin mōnstrāre to show, derivative of mōnstrum portent; see monster
Related forms
premuster, verb (used with object)
unmustered, adjective
Can be confused
muster, mustard.
Synonyms
1. convoke. See gather. 1, 4. convene; congregate. 5. gathering, assembly, convention.
Antonyms
1, 4. scatter, separate.

must1

[muhst] /mʌst/
auxiliary verb
1.
to be obliged or bound to by an imperative requirement:
I must keep my word.
2.
to be under the necessity to; need to:
Animals must eat to live.
3.
to be required or compelled to, as by the use or threat of force:
You must obey the law.
4.
to be compelled to in order to fulfill some need or achieve an aim:
We must hurry if we're to arrive on time.
5.
to be forced to, as by convention or the requirements of honesty:
I must say, that is a lovely hat.
6.
to be or feel urged to; ought to:
I must buy that book.
7.
to be reasonably expected to; is bound to:
It must have stopped raining by now. She must be at least 60.
8.
to be inevitably certain to; be compelled by nature:
Everyone must die.
verb (used without object)
9.
to be obliged; be compelled:
Do I have to go? I must, I suppose.
10.
Archaic. (sometimes used with ellipsis of go, get, or some similar verb readily understood from the context):
We must away.
adjective
11.
necessary; vital:
A raincoat is must clothing in this area.
noun
12.
something necessary, vital, or required:
This law is a must.
Origin
before 900; Middle English most(e), Old English mōste (past tense); cognate with German musste. See mote2
Synonyms
1. Must, ought, should express necessity or duty. Must expresses necessity or compulsion: I must attend to those patients first. Soldiers must obey orders. Ought (weaker than must ) expresses obligation, duty, desirability: You ought to tell your mother. Should expresses obligation, expectation, or probability: You are not behaving as you should. Children should be taught to speak the truth. They should arrive at one o'clock.
Examples from the web for muster
  • This is the first research report which has passed muster with him.
  • But, purist that he is, he'll gladly call out changes that don't pass muster.
  • It requires all the skill we can muster.
  • It hopes to pass muster with agency's safety regulators.
  • Right ahead loomed the broadside of a ship, and the Edda was bearing down on it with everything the old motor could muster.
  • Admiration I could probably muster, certainly respect.
  • Beeson said she doubted any approach would pass constitutional muster.
  • The legislature is expected to vote on this later this month, but the opposition looks highly unlikely to muster enough support.
  • Getting in and out requires more grace than we could muster.
  • If the patches pass muster, they will be put into the next official version.
British Dictionary definitions for muster

muster

/ˈmʌstə/
verb
1.
to call together (numbers of men) for duty, inspection, etc, or (of men) to assemble in this way
2.
(US)
  1. muster in, to enlist into military service
  2. muster out, to discharge from military service
3.
(transitive) (Austral & NZ) to round up (livestock)
4.
(transitive) sometimes foll by up. to summon or gather: to muster one's arguments, to muster up courage
noun
5.
an assembly of military personnel for duty, inspection, etc
6.
a collection, assembly, or gathering
7.
(Austral & NZ) the rounding up of livestock
8.
a flock of peacocks
9.
pass muster, to be acceptable
Word Origin
C14: from old French moustrer, from Latin monstrāre to show, from monstrum portent, omen

must1

/mʌst; unstressed məst; məs/
verb takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive
1.
used as an auxiliary to express obligation or compulsion: you must pay your dues. In this sense, must does not form a negative. If used with a negative infinitive it indicates obligatory prohibition
2.
used as an auxiliary to indicate necessity: I must go to the bank tomorrow
3.
used as an auxiliary to indicate the probable correctness of a statement: he must be there by now
4.
used as an auxiliary to indicate inevitability: all good things must come to an end
5.
(used as an auxiliary to express resolution)
  1. on the part of the speaker when used with I or we: I must finish this
  2. on the part of another or others as imputed to them by the speaker, when used with you, he, she, they, etc: let him get drunk if he must
6.
(used emphatically) used as an auxiliary to express conviction or certainty on the part of the speaker: he must have reached the town by now, surely, you must be joking
7.
(foll by away) used with an implied verb of motion to express compelling haste: I must away
noun
8.
an essential or necessary thing: strong shoes are a must for hill walking
Word Origin
Old English mōste past tense of mōtan to be allowed, be obliged to; related to Old Saxon mōtan, Old High German muozan, German müssen

must2

/mʌst/
noun
1.
mustiness or mould
Word Origin
C17: back formation from musty

must3

/mʌst/
noun
1.
the newly pressed juice of grapes or other fruit ready for fermentation
Word Origin
Old English, from Latin mustum new wine, must, from mustus (adj) newborn

must4

/mʌst/
noun
1.
a variant spelling of musth
Word Origin and History for muster
v.

c.1300, "to display, reveal, appear," from Old French mostrer "appear, show, reveal," also in a military sense (10c., Modern French montrer), from Latin monstrare "to show," from monstrum "omen, sign" (see monster). Meaning "to collect, assemble" is early 15c.; figurative use (of qualities, etc.) is from 1580s. To muster out "gather to be discharged from military service" is 1834, American English. To muster up in the figurative and transferred sense of "gather, summon, marshal" is from 1620s. Related: Mustered; mustering.

n.

late 14c., "action of showing, manifestation," from Old French mostre "illustration, proof; examination, inspection" (13c., Modern French montre), literally "that which is shown," from mostrer (see muster (v.)). Meaning "act of gathering troops" is from c.1400. To pass musters (1570s) originally meant "to undergo military review without censure."

must

v.

Old English moste, past tense of motan "have to, be able to," from Proto-Germanic *mot- "ability, leisure (to do something)" (cf. Old Saxon motan "to be obliged to, have to," Old Frisian mota, Middle Low German moten, Dutch moeten, German müssen "to be obliged to," Gothic gamotan "to have room to, to be able to"), perhaps from PIE root *med- "to measure, to take appropriate measures" (see medical (adj.)). Used as present tense from c.1300, from the custom of using past subjunctive as a moderate or polite form of the present.

n.

"new wine," Old English must, from Latin mustum (also source of Old High German, German most, Old French moust, Modern French moût, Spanish, Italian mosto), short for vinum mustum "fresh wine," neuter of mustus "fresh, new, newborn," perhaps literally "wet," and from PIE *mus-to-, from root *meus- "damp" (see moss).

"mold," c.1600, perhaps a back-formation of musty (q.v.).

"male elephant frenzy," 1871, from Urdu mast "intoxicated, in rut," from Persian mast, literally "intoxicated," related to Sanskrit matta- "drunk, intoxicated," past participle of madati "boils, bubbles, gets drunk," from PIE root *mad- "wet, moist" (see mast (n.2)).

"that which has to be done, seen, or experienced," 1892, from must (v.). As an adjective, "obligatory, indispensable," by 1912, from the noun; must-read is from 1959.

Idioms and Phrases with muster

muster

In addition to the idiom beginning with muster also see: pass muster

must

see: