moccasin

American  

[mok-uh-sin, -zuhn] / ˈmɒk ə sɪn, -zən /

noun

1. a heelless shoe made entirely of soft leather, as deerskin, with the sole brought up and attached to a piece of u -shaped leather on top of the foot, worn originally by the American Indians.

2. a hard-soled shoe or slipper resembling this, often decorated with beads.

3. any of several North American snakes of the genus Agkistrodon (Ancistrodon ), especially the cottonmouth.

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moccasin British  

/ ˈmɒkəsɪn /

noun

1. a shoe of soft leather, esp deerskin, worn by North American Indians

2. any soft shoe resembling this

3. a sheepshearer's footgear, usually made of sacking

4. short for water moccasin

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Etymology

Origin of moccasin

1605–15, < Virginia Algonquian < Proto-Algonquian *maxkeseni

Compare meaning

How does moccasin compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• water snake vs. moccasin

Example Sentences

She wore earrings and jewelry and moccasins and ribbons pieced together with love and care.

From Literature

She shifts in her chair, making the tassels on her beaded tan suede moccasins bounce.

From Literature

All I could think of was water moccasin.

From Literature

Then with my own kids making their own memories, watching the peanut butter being made, choosing moccasins from the now-gone moccasin shop at the Dell.

From Los Angeles Times

“I had a fully beaded diaper bag. I had beaded moccasins before I could walk.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• sandal