mukluk

Sometimes muc·luc,

[muhk-luhk]

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.

mukluk

/ ˈmʌklʌk /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mukluk¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mukluk¹

from Inuktitut muklok large seal

Example Sentences

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

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

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

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

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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.

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Related Words

• footwear