ˈmüs noun
( plural moose )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: of Algonquian origin; akin to Natick moos moose, from moos-u he trims, shaves; from the animal's habit of stripping bark and lower branches off trees
1.
a. : a large ruminant mammal ( Alces americana ) of the family Cervidae that inhabits forested parts of Canada and the northern U.S., is closely related to the European elk but slightly larger standing about seven feet high at the humped shoulders and often weighing over 1000 pounds, and has an ungainly form with the legs long, the tail short, and the head large with a thick overhanging snout and broadly palmated antlers with many points
b. : elk 1a
2. capitalized : a member of one of the major benevolent and fraternal orders
3. sometimes capitalized : bull moose
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moose 1
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