Etymology

mosey

M3O1S1E1Y4

Today it means: To set off, get going; to start a journey. Full definition →

First used 19th c.
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mosey · verb1

Unknown. Originally attested in Southern US dialects. Suggested origins include: * Spanish vamos (compare vamoose) * British dialectal mosey about (“walk around at leisurely pace”) * an Algonquian term for "walk" (compare Ojibwe bimose (“she or he walks along”)) * proper name Mosey, pet form of Moses, in reference to the biblical Exodus which he led

mosey · adjective, noun2

From moss + -y (apparently reflecting Middle English open vowel lengthening).

Mosey · proper noun3

From a pet form of the personal name Moses.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. A fool, an idiot.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.