Muzzle \Muz"zle\, n. [OE. mosel, OF. musel, F. museau muzzle or snout, LL. musellus, fr. musus, morsus. See {Muse}, v. i., and cf. {Morsel}.] 1. The projecting mouth and nose of a quadruped, as of a horse; a snout.
2. The mouth of a thing; the end for entrance or discharge; as, the muzzle of a gun.
3. A fastening or covering (as a band or cage) for the mouth of an animal, to prevent eating or vicious biting.
With golden muzzles all their mouths were bound --Dryden.
{Muzzle sight}. (Gun.) See {Dispart}, n., 2.
Muzzle \Muz"zle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Muzzled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Muzzling}.] [F. museler.] 1. To bind the mouth of; to fasten the mouth of, so as to prevent biting or eating; hence, figuratively, to bind; to sheathe; to restrain from speech or action; as, the dictator muzzled all the newspapers. ``My dagger muzzled.'' --Shak.
Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. --Deut. xxv. 4.
2. To fondle with the closed mouth. [Obs.] --L'Estrange.
Muzzle \Muz"zle\, v. i. To bring the mouth or muzzle near.
The bear muzzles and smells to him. --L'Estrange.
Worst of all are the mosquitoes, midges and gadflies that sting us on the muzzle, causing colds and congestion, and plant their eggs in the soft flesh under our eyelids, weakening our already poor vision.
"Peace in El Salvador will not come out of the muzzle of any rifle," Cristiani said. "There is no reason for war in El Salvador.
Daring reports in such journals as Reform, a colorful weekly tabloid, and Kapu, a cultural monthly, have created a competitive atmosphere that has affected the older Communist Party organs _ making it tougher for state censors to muzzle reporting.
The autopsy report said Salii placed the gun muzzle at his left temple and fired.
But Mueller accused U.S. officials of trying to "muzzle" Franklin out of fear he might say something to jeopardize talks between Contra representatives and the Sandinistas that began Thursday at the United Nations.