musquash

[ muhs-kwosh ]

noun

1. Chiefly British. the fur of the muskrat.

musquash

/ ˈmʌskwɒʃ /

noun

1. another name for muskrat , used esp to refer to its fur

Word History and Origins

Origin of musquash¹

1770–80, Americanism; < Massachusett cognate of Western Abenaki mòskwas (perhaps equivalent to Proto-Algonquian *mo·ŝk- bobbing above the surface of the water + *-exkwe· head + derivational elements, i.e., the one whose head bobs above the water)

Word History and Origins

Origin of musquash¹

C17: from Algonquian: compare Natick musquash, Abnaki muskwessu