elk en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ɛlk/
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English elk, from Old English eolc, eolh (“elk”), from Proto-West Germanic *elh, from Proto-Germanic *elhaz, *algiz (“elk”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁élḱis, *h₁ólḱis, variant of *h₁elh₁én, from *h₁el- (“deer”). See also Low German Elk, German Elch, Danish elg, Norwegian elg, Swedish älg; also Polish łoś, Russian лось (losʹ), Vedic Sanskrit ऋश्य (ṛ́śya, “antelope”); also German Elen, Tocharian A yäl, Tocharian B ylem (“gazelle”), Lithuanian élnis (“stag”), Armenian եղնիկ (eġnik, “doe, hind”). Doublet of Elhaz.
Meanings
- (Commonwealth, Europe) Any of various large species of deer such as the red deer, moose or wapiti (see usage notes). ▸ 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) Any of various large species of deer such as the red deer, moose or wapiti (see usage notes). ▸ Common wapiti (Cervus canadensis), the second largest member of the deer family, once thought to be a subspecies of red deer.
-
(British, India) Any of various large species of deer such as the red deer, moose or wapiti (see usage notes). ▸ Sambar (Cervus unicolor).
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.
1813, James Forbes, Oriental Memoirs, page 281:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| elk | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| elks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Elkhart · giant elk · Black Elk · Elk County · Cape elk · elkweed · Elk Grove · elk test · Elk River · Irish elk · elkburger · Elkton · elkskin · elkhound · Elk Lick · Elk City · elklike · Nelson's elk · Elk Mountains · West Elk Mountains · Elk Point · elkhorn · Roosevelt elk · elkwood