moose
MOOS/muːs/
Pluralmoose
- 1A very large deer whose males have broad, flat antlers, or a similar kind of deer that no longer lives.
A moose stood in the middle of the road, and the cars had to wait.
We saw three moose eating plants in the marsh at sunrise.
UsageOne moose, two moose.
Similarelk
- 2A rude word for a person who is thought to be ugly.
Some jerk at the bar called her a moose, so she walked away.
A cruel boy called her a moose because he thought she was ugly.
Similardog
Less common meaning
- 3A young Asian woman taken as a lover by a soldier serving far from home.
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
Practice
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Origin
From an Algonquian word meaning "it strips", because a moose strips bark from trees when it feeds.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- Moose comes from an Algonquian language. en.wikipedia.org
- The ancestral word means "it strips", referring to moose stripping bark from trees while feeding. en.wiktionary.org