moose

[ moos ]

noun,plural moose.
  1. a large, long-headed mammal, Alces alces, of the deer family, having circumpolar distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, the male of which has enormous palmate antlers.

  2. (initial capital letter) a member of a fraternal and benevolent organization (Loyal Order of Moose ).

Origin of moose

1
1595–1605, Americanism;<Eastern Abenaki mos, reinforced by cognates in other Algonquian languages, all < Proto-Algonquian *mo˙swa

Words Nearby moose

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British Dictionary definitions for moose

moose

/ (muːs) /


nounplural moose
  1. a large North American deer, Alces alces, having large flattened palmate antlers: also occurs in Europe and Asia where it is called an elk

Origin of moose

1
C17: from Algonquian; related to Narraganset moos, from moosu he strips, alluding to the moose's habit of stripping trees

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