Meanings
moose1
dated plural rare mooses · humorous nonstandard plural meese
- The largest member of the deer family (Alces americanus, sometimes included in Alces alces), of which the male has very large, palmate antlers.
We saw a moose at the edge of the woods.
Synonyms: elk, Newfoundland speed bump
- Any of the extinct moose-like deer of the genera Cervalces and Libralces.
Europe’s giant beavers lived at the same time as the first moose, Libralces gallicus.
2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 152 - colloquialderogatoryfigurativelyAn ugly person.
moose2
- USslanggovernmentAn Asian girl taken as a lover.
In military bases in the rear areas it was common for soldiers to have a moose.
2005, Rupert Nelson, Like the Rings of a Tree, page 2791 more example
Even the lowest ranked serviceman, because of his salary, benefits, and status as an American occupationaire, could afford to “maintain a ‘Moose’ and still take care of his other obligations.”
2011, Michael Cullen Green, Black Yanks in the Pacific, page 75
Moose3
- An English surname.
Moose4
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe largest member of the deer family (Alces americanus, sometimes included in Alces alces), of which the male has very large, palmate antlers.
More synonyms by meaning
nounlarge northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male; called ‘elk’ in Europe and ‘moose’ in North America
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
moose · noun
- Proto-Algonquian*mo·swa“it strips”
- Massachusettmoos, mws
- Eastern Algonquian
- Englishmoose
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”).
More words from Eastern Algonquian, Massachusett, Proto-Algonquian
Full word history & related roots →moose · noun
- Japaneseむすめ“daughter”
- Englishmoose
Borrowed from Japanese むすめ (“daughter”).
More words from Japanese
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans eland
- elandlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Ancient Greek ἄλκη
- ἄλκη (álkē)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Arabic مُوظ
- مُوظ (mūẓ)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Basque altze
- altzelargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Bulgarian лос
- лос (los)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Catalan ant
- antlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Chinese Mandarin 駝鹿 /驼鹿, 大鹿
- 駝鹿 /驼鹿 (tuólù)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- 大鹿 (dàlù)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- 麋鹿 (mílù)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Czech los
- loslargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Danish elg, elsdyr
- elglargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- elsdyrlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Dutch eland
- elandlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Esperanto alko
- alkolargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Estonian põder
- põderlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Finnish hirvi
- hirvilargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
French élan d'Amérique, orignal
- élan d'Amériquelargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- orignallargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
German Elch
- Elchlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Greek άλκη, αμερικανική έλαφος
- άλκη (álki)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- αμερικανική έλαφος (amerikanikí élafos)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Hebrew צבי אמריקני
- צבי אמריקני (tsvi amrikani)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Hungarian jávorszarvas
- jávorszarvaslargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Icelandic elgur
- elgurlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Irish mús
- múslargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Italian alce
- alcelargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Japanese ヘラジカ, 箆鹿
- ヘラジカ (herajika)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- 箆鹿 (herajika)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Korean 엘크, 무스
- 엘크 (elkeu)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- 무스 (museu)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- 말코손바닥사슴 (malkosonbadaksaseum)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Latin alcēs
- alcēslargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Latvian alnis
- alnislargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Lithuanian briedis
- briedislargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Malay moose, elk
- mooselargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- elklargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Norwegian elg
- elglargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Persian موس, یاله
- موس (mus)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- یاله (yâle)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- گاو کوهی (gâv-e kuhi)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- شاهگوزن (šāhgavazn)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Polish łoś, łosica
- łoślargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- łosicalargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- łoszalargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- klępalargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Portuguese alce
- alcelargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Romanian elan
- elanlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Russian лось
- лось (losʹ)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Scottish Gaelic lon
- lonlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Slovak los
- loslargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Spanish alce, ante
- alcelargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- antelargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- antalargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- elquelargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Swahili elki, kongoni wa Kaskazini
- elkilargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- kongoni wa Kaskazinilargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Swedish älg
- älglargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Tagalog alse
- alselargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Thai ตัวมูซ, มูส
- ตัวมูซ (dtua môot)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- มูส (môot)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- กวางมูส (gwaang-múus)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Turkish alageyik, sığın
- alageyiklargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- sığınlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Ukrainian лось
- лось (losʹ)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Vietnamese nai anxet, nai sừng tấm
- nai anxetlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- nai sừng tấmlargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Welsh elc
- elclargest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Yiddish לאָס, לאָסיכע
- לאָס (los)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
- לאָסיכע (losikhe)largest member of the deer family (Alces alces)
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with moose
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
moose. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moose
“moose.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moose. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “moose,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/moose.
Source: moose on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.