Appaloosa

[ap-uh-loo-suh]

noun

one of a hardy breed of riding horses, developed in the North American West, having a mottled hide, vertically striped hoofs, and eyes that show a relatively large proportion of white.

Origin of Appaloosa

1920–25, Americanism; origin uncertain; perhaps to be identified with Opelousa a Louisiana Indian tribal name (Compare Opelousas poney, recorded in a German text of 1849), though the breed is traditionally associated with the Nez Percé Indians and the Palouse River (W Idaho)

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British Dictionary definitions for appaloosa

Appaloosa

noun

a breed of horse, originally from America, typically having a spotted rump

Word Origin for Appaloosa

C19: perhaps from Palouse, river in Idaho

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for appaloosa

Appaloosa

breed of horses favored by Indian tribes in U.S. West, 1849, either from Opelousa in Louisiana or from Palouse Indians, who lived near the river of that name in Idaho, in which case it probably is a Nez Percé word. Opelousa is perhaps from Choctaw api losa "black body;" while Palouse is from Sahaptin palou:s "what is standing up in the water."