morse

morse · noun¹

1. Latin · derived frommorsus“bite; clasp”
2. Middle French · derived frommors
3. English todaymorse

From Middle French mors, from Latin morsus (“bite; clasp”), from mordere (“to bite”).

morse · noun²

1. Proto-Sami · derived from*moršë
2. English todaymorse

Uncertain, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Sami *moršë. Compare Russian морж (morž, “walrus”), Sami morša, Finnish mursu (all attested later), and possibly the second element of translingual Rosmarus.

First known use, by meaning

• from 15th c. A clasp or fastening used to fasten a cope in the front, usually decorative.
• from 15th c. Synonym of walrus.