elk
- elk
elk late
O.E., from
O.N. elgr or from an alteration of
O.E. elh, eolh (perhaps via French scribes), or possibly from
M.H.G. elch (
OED's suggestion), all from
P.Gmc. *elkh- (
Cf. O.H.G. elaho), related to the general word for "
deer" in Balto-Slavic (
Cf. Rus.
losu, Czech
los; also
Cf. ELAND (
Cf. eland)), from
PIE *olki-, perhaps with reference to the reddish color from
root *el- (2) "
red, brown" (in animal and tree names);
Cf. Skt. harina- "
deer," from
hari- "
reddish-brown." Greek
alke and
L. alces probably are Germanic loan-words. Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks founded N.Y.C. 1868, originally a society of actors and writers.
Etymology dictionary.
2014.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
Ełk — Ełk … Deutsch Wikipedia
elk — (ĕlk) n. pl. elk or elks 1) A large reddish brown or grayish deer (Cervus canadensis) of western North America, having long, branching antlers in the male. The elk is sometimes considered a subspecies of the closely related red deer. Also called… … Word Histories
elk — /elk/, n., pl. elks, (esp. collectively) elk for 1, 2. 1. Also called European elk. the moose, Alces alces. 2. Also called American elk, wapiti. a large North American deer, Cervus canadensis, the male of which has large, spreading antlers. 3. a… … Universalium
elk — ([e^]lk), n. [Icel. elgr; akin to Sw. elg, AS. eolh, OHG. elaho, MHG. elch, cf. L. alces; perh. akin to E. eland.] (Zo[ o]l.) A large deer, of several species. The European elk {Alces alces} (formerly {Alces machlis} or {Cervus alces}) is closely … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
elk — [elk] n plural elk [: Old English; Origin: eolh] 1.) BrE a very large brown North American, European, and Asian animal with wide flat horns American Equivalent: moose 2.) AmE a large North American ↑deer … Dictionary of contemporary English
elk — [elk] n. pl. elk or elks [ME, irreg. development (with k for ch) < OE eolh, akin to Ger elch, ON elgr < Gmc base * alchis < IE base * el , stag, hart > Welsh elain, doe, Lith élnis, Gr elaphos, deer] 1. MOOSE: the common term in… … English World dictionary
elk — elk, elke elke, n. (Zo[ o]l.) The European wild or whistling swan ({Cygnus ferus}). [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Elk — ([e^]lk), prop. n. a member of the fraternal organization named Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, supporting various services to their communities. [PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Elk [2] — Elk, 1) Grafschaft im Staate Pennsylvanien (Nordamerika), 37 QM.; Flüsse: Clarion River u. die Quellenarme des Sinnemahoning Creek; Boden gebirgig (namentlich im Süden Elk Mountain) u. waldig; Hauptproduct: Bauholz, dann etwas Mais u. Hafer,… … Pierer's Universal-Lexikon
elk — [ elk ] noun count a type of large DEER that lives in North America, Europe, and Asia: MOOSE … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
elk — elk; elk·slip; … English syllables
