appaloosa
UK /ˌæ.pəˈluː.sə/ · US /ˌæ.pəˈlu.sə/ noun
Forms appaloosas
- noun A horse of a breed best known for its colorful spotted coat pattern.
- noun (Southern US) A catfish.
Etymology
From a + Palouse + -a. From the phrase "a Palouse horse", referring to the Palouse River near which they were first encountered by non-Native Americans. The river is named for the Palouse region.
Ellipsis of Appaloosa cat, itself an ellipsis of Apaloosa catfish, after the Appalousa people of Louisiana.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “appaloosa”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details