Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun That which eats wood; a wood-borer; a wood-fretter; specifically, the gribble, Limnoria lignorum.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Thus, moose is from the Indian word _mouswah_, meaning wood-eater; skunk from _seganku_, an Algonquin term; _wapiti_, in the Cree language, meant white deer, and was originally applied to the Rocky Mountain goat, but the name is now restricted to the American elk.
The Log of the Sun A Chronicle of Nature's Year William Beebe 1919
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Indeed, their name is derived from the Indian word mouswah, meaning wood-eater.
Janey Canuck in the West Emily Ferguson 1910
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His long legs enable him to feed on the branches of trees, whence his name of moose, from the Indian musee or musu, wood-eater.
Rural Hours 1887
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The moose takes its name from its Indian appellation, "moosoa," or "wood-eater;" and this name is very appropriate, as the animal lives mostly upon the leaves and twigs of trees.
The Young Voyageurs Boy Hunters in the North Mayne Reid 1850
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"wood-eater;" and this name is very appropriate, as the animal lives mostly upon the leaves and twigs of trees.
Popular Adventure Tales Mayne Reid 1850
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