husky

[huhs-kee]

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adjective, husk·i·er, husk·i·est.

big and strong; burly.
(of the voice) having a semiwhispered vocal tone; somewhat hoarse, as when speaking with a cold or from grief or passion.
like, covered with, or full of husks.

made in a size meant for the larger or heavier than average boy: size 18 husky pants.
for, pertaining to, or wearing clothing in this size: the husky department; husky boys.

noun, plural husk·ies.

a size of garments meant for the larger or heavier than average boy.

Origin of husky

First recorded in 1545–55; husk + -y¹

Related formshusk·i·ly, adverbhusk·i·ness, noun

Synonyms for husky

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1. robust, brawny, strapping. 2. harsh, gruff, rasping, throaty.

husky

[huhs-kee]

noun, plural husk·ies. Informal.

a big, strong person.

Origin of husky

1865–70; noun use of husky¹, with the suffix taken as -y²

husky

[huhs-kee]

noun, plural husk·ies. (sometimes initial capital letter)

Eskimo dog.
Siberian Husky.
Canadian Slang.
1. an Inuit.
2. the language of the Inuit.

Origin of husky

1870–75; by ellipsis from husky dog, husky breed; compare Newfoundland and Labrador dial. Husky a Labrador Inuit, earlier Huskemaw, Uskemaw, ultimately < the same Algonquian source as Eskimo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for husky

hoarse, gruff, throaty, stocky, strapping, muscular, stout, rasping, rough, guttural, stalwart, harsh, loud, raucous, croaky, Herculean, brawny, gigantic, hefty, mighty

Examples from the Web for husky

Historical Examples of husky

Steel your heart against the seductive charms of these Husky belles!
Left on Labrador
Charles Asbury Stephens
We bade a hasty farewell to the Husky belles, and handed them into their barge.
Left on Labrador
Charles Asbury Stephens
I wonder what our Husky friends thought of this little bombardment!
Left on Labrador
Charles Asbury Stephens
Why, you don't doubt your ability to win the affections of a Husky belle, do you?
Left on Labrador
Charles Asbury Stephens
"You do what you're told with less lip," said Husky threateningly.
The Huntress
Hulbert Footner

British Dictionary definitions for husky

husky

adjective huskier or huskiest

(of a voice, an utterance, etc) slightly hoarse or rasping
of, like, or containing husks
informal big, strong, and well-built

Derived Formshuskily, adverbhuskiness, noun

Word Origin for husky

C19: probably from husk, from the toughness of a corn husk

husky

noun plural huskies

a breed of Arctic sled dog with a thick dense coat, pricked ears, and a curled tail
Canadian slang
1. a member of the Inuit people
2. the Inuit language

Word Origin for husky

C19: probably based on Eskimo

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 husky

adj.

"hoarse," c.1722 in reference to a cattle disease (of persons, 1740), from husk on the notion of "dry as a husk." Earlier (1550s) "having husks." Sense of "tough and strong" (like corn husks) is first found 1869, American English. Related: Huskily; huskiness.

"Eskimo dog," 1852, Canadian English, earlier (1830) hoskey "an Eskimo," probably shortened variant of Ehuskemay (1743), itself a variant of Eskimo.

The moment any vessel is noticed steering for these islands [Whalefish Islands], the Esquimaux, or "Huskies,"* as the Danes customarily term them, come off in sufficient numbers to satisfy you that you are near the haunts of uncivilized men, and will afford sufficient information to guide any stranger to his anchorage. *"Husky" is their own term. I recollect the chorus to a song at Kamtchatka was "Husky, Husky." ["Last of the Arctic Voyages," London, 1855]