elk
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Translingual
Symbol
elk
See also
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English elk, from Old English eolc, eolh (“elk”), from Proto-Germanic *elhaz, *algiz (“elk”) (compare Low German Elk, German Elch, Danish elg, Norwegian elg, Swedish älg), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁élḱis, *h₁ólḱis (compare Polish łoś, Russian лось (losʹ), Vedic Sanskrit ऋश्य (ṛ́śya, “antelope”), variant of *h₁elh₁én (compare German Elen, Tocharian A yäl, Tocharian B ylem (“gazelle”), Lithuanian élnis (“stag”), Armenian եղնիկ (eġnik, “doe, hind”)), from *h₁el- (“deer”). Doublet of Elhaz.
Noun
- Any of various large species of deer such as the red deer, moose or wapiti (see usage notes).
- (chiefly Europe, Commonwealth) Any of the subspecies of the moose (Alces alces, the largest member of the deer family, alternatively named Eurasian elk to avoid confusion with the wapiti), that occurs only in Europe and Asia.
- (Canada, US) Common wapiti (Cervus canadensis), the second largest member of the deer family, once thought to be a subspecies of red deer.
- (British India) Sambar (Cervus unicolor).
- 1813, James Forbes, Oriental Memoirs, page 281:
- In a narrow defile […] a male elk, (cervus alces, Lin.) of noble appearance, followed by twenty-two females, passed majestically under their platform, each as large as a common-sized horse.
Usage notes
Elk originally referred to the moose. The wapiti was named elk by European explorers in North America, who thought it resembled the moose.
The word elk is now commonly used in the same way as the word caribou is used for the subspecies of the reindeer. The only difference here is that it refers only to a single subspecies, while caribou refers to several subspecies of the reindeer.
Synonyms
Derived terms
- Black Elk
- Cape elk (Taurotragus spp.)
- elkburger
- Elk City
- Elk County
- Elk Grove
- Elkhart
- elkhorn
- elkhound
- Elk Lick
- elklike
- Elk Mountains
- Elk Point
- Elk River
- elkskin
- elk test
- Elkton
- elkweed
- elkwood
- giant elk (†Megaloceros giganteus)
- Irish elk (†Megaloceros giganteus)
- Nelson's elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni)
- Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni)
- West Elk Mountains
Descendants
Translations
Alces alces — see moose
Cervus canadensis — see wapiti
Etymology 2
Noun
elk (plural elks)
- Obsolete form of elke (common swan (Cygnus cygnus, syn. Cygnus ferus)).
References
- “elk”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
Afrikaans
Etymology
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Pronoun
elk
Synonyms
Determiner
elk
- (in expressions only) Alternative form of elke (“every”)
- in elk geval — “in every (i.e. any) case”
Dutch
Low German
Middle English
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