walrus

walrus
walrus 1650s, from Du. walrus, which was probably a folk-etymology alteration (by influence of Du. walvis "whale" and ros "horse") of a Scandinavian word, such as O.N. rosmhvalr "walrus," hrosshvalr "a kind of whale," or rostungr "walrus." O.E. had horschwæl, and later morse, from Lapp morsa or Finnish mursu, which ultimately might be the source, much garbled, of the first element in O.N. rosmhvalr.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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Synonyms:
, , (Trichechus rosmarus)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Walrus — Wal rus, n. [D. walrus; of Scand. origin; cf. Dan valros, Sw. vallross, Norw. hvalros; literally, whale horse; akin to Icel. hrosshvalr, AS. horshw[ae]l. See {Whale}, and {Horse}.] (Zo[ o]l.) A very large marine mammal ({Trichecus rosmarus}) of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • walrus — [wôl′rəs] n. pl. walruses or walrus [Du < Dan hvalros, prob. by metathesis < ON hrosshvalr, lit., horse whale < hross, akin to OE hros, horse + hvalr, WHALE1] a massive, arctic sea carnivore (Odobenus rosmarus) of the same family… …   English World dictionary

  • walrus — ► NOUN ▪ a large marine mammal having two large downward pointing tusks, found in the Arctic Ocean. ORIGIN probably Dutch, perhaps from an Old Norse word meaning horse whale …   English terms dictionary

  • Walrus — For other uses, see Walrus (disambiguation). Walrus[1] …   Wikipedia

  • walrus — /wawl reuhs, wol /, n., pl. walruses, (esp. collectively) walrus. a large marine mammal, Odobenus nosmarus, of arctic seas, related to the seals, and having flippers, a pair of large tusks, and a tough, wrinkled skin. [1645 55; < D: lit., whale… …   Universalium

  • Walrus — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Sur les autres projets Wikimedia : « Walrus », sur le Wiktionnaire (dictionnaire universel) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • walrus — [17] Etymologically, a walrus is probably a ‘whale horse’. The word seems to have been borrowed from Dutch walrus, which was an inversion of a presumed prehistoric Germanic compound represented by Old English horschwæl and Old Norse hrosshvalr.… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • walrus — [17] Etymologically, a walrus is probably a ‘whale horse’. The word seems to have been borrowed from Dutch walrus, which was an inversion of a presumed prehistoric Germanic compound represented by Old English horschwæl and Old Norse hrosshvalr.… …   Word origins

  • walrus —    Used in American slang since the 1920s, according to Chapman’s Dictionary of American Slang, to refer to a short, fat person.    British speakers of English would probably associate the word with the walrus moustache, which hangs down both… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

  • walrus — noun (plural walrus or walruses) Etymology: Dutch, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish & Norwegian hvalros walrus, Old Norse rosmhvalr Date: 1728 a large gregarious marine mammal (Odobenus rosmarus of the family Odobenidae) of arctic waters… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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