Etymology

moose

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Today it means: The largest member of the deer family (Alces americanus, sometimes included in Alces alces), of which the male has very large, palmate antlers. Full definition →

Eastern Algonquian ← Massachusett moos, mws ← Proto-Algonquian *mo·swa
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moose · noun1

  1. Proto-Algonquian · derived from*mo·swa“it strips”
  2. Massachusett · derived frommoos, mws
  3. Eastern Algonquian · derived from
  4. English todaymoose

Earlier mus, moos, from an Eastern Algonquian language name for the animal, such as Massachusett moos, mws, Narragansett moos or Penobscot mos (cognate to Abenaki moz), from Proto-Algonquian *mo·swa (“it strips”), referring to how a moose strips tree bark when feeding: compare Massachusett moos-u (“he strips, cuts smooth”).

moose · noun2

  1. Japanese · borrowed fromむすめ“daughter”
  2. English todaymoose

Borrowed from Japanese むすめ (“daughter”).

Moose · proper noun3

  1. Dakota · derived fromta
  2. German · borrowed fromMoos
  3. English todayMoose

* Americanized form of German Moos. * Translation and shortening of a Native American name with a word meaning “moose”, such as Dakota ta.

Moose · noun4

Alteration of Muslim with moose.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.