mukluk

American  

[muhk-luhk] / ˈmʌk lʌk /

Sometimes mucluc,

noun

1. a soft boot worn by the Inuit and Yupik in the American Arctic, often lined with fur and usually made of sealskin or reindeer skin.

2. a similar boot with a soft sole, usually worn for lounging.

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mukluk British  

/ ˈmʌklʌk /

noun

1. a soft boot, usually of sealskin, worn by the Inuit

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Etymology

Origin of mukluk

First recorded in 1865–70, from Yupik maklak “bearded seal,” incorrectly taken to mean “sealskin,” then transferred to “boots made of sealskin”

Example Sentences

Diyet van Lieshout, the mezzo-soprano from Yukon, is filmed traipsing through the snow in her traditional mukluk boots.

From New York Times

After he spoke and chose his racing bib number out of a mukluk boot, an Iditarod tradition, he returned to his table.

From New York Times

Women with mittens and ornate mukluk boots swayed their hips to the beat.

From New York Times

Nusan threaded a needle and whipped the rabbit fur onto the top of a mukluk.

From Literature

In Alaska's promising Mukluk field, for instance, major oil companies have put an estimated $1.7 billion into exploration, but have so far turned up only a $140 million dry hole.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• footwear