elk

[ elk ]

/ ɛlk /

noun, plural elks, (especially collectively) elk for 1, 2.

Also called European elk. the moose, Alces alces.

Also called American elk, wapiti. a large North American deer, Cervus canadensis, the male of which has large, spreading antlers.

a pliable leather used for sport shoes, made originally of elk hide but now of calfskin or cowhide tanned and smoked to resemble elk hide.

(initial capital letter) a member of a fraternal organization (Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks) that supports or contributes to various charitable causes.

Nearby words

Origin of elk

before 900; Middle English; Old English eolc, eolh; cognate with German Elch (Old High German el(a)ho), Latin alcēs, Greek álkē

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for elk

And, from the south, chronic wasting disease is poised to decimate the elk herds.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This means a decline in habitat quality for grazers like bison and elk, whose winter-killed carcasses grizzlies feed upon.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Any elk habitat expert, modern hunters as well as biologists, might take a stab at the time required for elk to make that journey.
Incontrovertible Evidence Proves the First Americans Came From Asia|Doug Peacock|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Either the child was buried at the same time the elk antler tools were made or 400 years later.
Incontrovertible Evidence Proves the First Americans Came From Asia|Doug Peacock|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That would have meant a fully re-vegetated (that is, lush with elk food) ice-free corridor.
Incontrovertible Evidence Proves the First Americans Came From Asia|Doug Peacock|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Saw great sign of elk, but had not the good fortune to come across any of them.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume I (of 3)|Elliott Coues
In this division the elk, deer, and buffalo were probably in greater quantities than in any other part of my whole voyage.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume I (of 3)|Elliott Coues
Their corslets and shields are said to have been made of elk's skin.
The History of Antiquity, Vol. III (of VI)|Max Duncker
When an elk was singled out the184 coyotes relayed him and kept him on the move.
The Yellow Horde|Hal G. Evarts
There were no buffalo, but plenty of elk, deer, and antelope.
Jack the Young Trapper|George Bird Grinnell

British Dictionary definitions for elk

elk

/ (ɛlk) /

noun plural elks or elk

a large deer, Alces alces, of N Europe and Asia, having large flattened palmate antlers: also occurs in North America, where it is called a moose

American elk another name for wapiti

a stout pliable waterproof leather made from calfskin or horsehide

Word Origin for elk

Old English eolh; related to Old Norse elgr, Old High German elaho, Latin alcēs, Greek alkē, elaphos deer

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 elk

elk

late Old English, from Old Norse elgr or from an alteration of Old English elh, eolh (perhaps via French scribes), or possibly from Middle High German elch (OED's suggestion), all from Proto-Germanic *elkh- (cf. Old High German elaho),

The Germanic words are related to the general word for "deer" in Balto-Slavic (cf. Russian losu, Czech los; also cf. eland), from PIE *olki-, perhaps with reference to the reddish color from root *el- (2) "red, brown" (in animal and tree names); cf. Sanskrit harina- "deer," from hari- "reddish-brown." Greek alke and Latin alces probably are Germanic loan-words. Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks founded N.Y.C. 1868, originally a society of actors and writers.