musick

English

Noun

musick (usually uncountable, plural musicks)

1. Obsolete spelling of music
   • 1673, John Milton, Harry whose tuneful and well measur'd Song:

     Harry whose tuneful and well measur’d Song / First taught our English Musick how to span

   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Humours and Dispositions of the Laputians Described. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdribb, Luggnagg, and Japan), page 26:

     Their Ideas are perpetually converſant in Lines and Figures. If they would, for example, praiſe the Beauty of a Woman, or any other Animal, they deſcribe it by Rhombs, Circles, Parallelograms, Ellipſes, and other Geometrical Terms, or by Words of Art drawn from Muſick, needleſs here to repeat.

   • 1798, Joanna Baillie, Count Basil, Act 1, Scene 2.

     Enter Count Basil, Officers and Soldiers in Procession, with Colours flying, and martial musick. When they have marched half way over the Stage, an Officer of the Dukes enters from the opposite side, and speaks to Count Basil, upon which he gives a sign with his hand, and the martial musick ceases; soft musick is heard at a little distance, and Victoria, with a long procession of Ladies, enters from the opposite side.