Loyal Order of Moose
- See under moose(def 2).
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moose
[moos]
- 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.
- (initial capital letter) a member of a fraternal and benevolent organization (Loyal Order of Moose).
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Origin of moose
1595–1605, Americanism; < Eastern Abenaki mos, reinforced by cognates in other Algonquian languages, all < Proto-Algonquian *mo˙swa
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
moose
- a large North American deer, Alces alces, having large flattened palmate antlers: also occurs in Europe and Asia where it is called an elk
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Word Origin
C17: from Algonquian; related to Narraganset moos, from moosu he strips, alluding to the moose's habit of stripping trees
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for loyal order of moose
moose
n.
1610s, from an Algonquian language, probably Narragansett moos or Abenaki moz (cf. Penobscot muns, Ojibwa mooz, Unami Delaware /mo:s/), said by early sources to be from moosu "he strips off," in reference to the animals' stripping bark for food.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper