moccasin
UK /ˈmɒkəsɪn/ · US /ˈmɑkəsɪn/ noun
Forms moccasins mocassin moccassin
- noun A traditional Native North American shoe, usually without a heel or sole, made of a piece of deerskin or other soft leather turned up at the edges which are either stitched together at the top of the shoe, or sewn to a vamp (a piece covering the top of the foot).
- noun A modern shoe with either a low or no heel resembling a traditional Native American moccasin in that the leather forming the sides of the shoe is stitched at the top.
- noun A light beige colour, like that of a moccasin.
- noun Any of several North American snakes of the genus Agkistrodon, particularly the copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) and the cottonmouth or water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus).
Synonyms
Etymology
From Powhatan makasin, mockasin, mawhcasuns (plural), from Proto-Algonquian *maxkeseni. The word is cognate with Massachusett mohkisson, mokussin, Mi'kmaq mksɨn, Munsee mahkusin, Ojibwe makizin. First appears c. 1612 in the writings of John Smith. It has been suggested that sense 4 (“North American snake”) may be derived from a different Native American word.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A shoe made of deerskin, or other soft leather, the sole and upper part being one piece. It is the customary shoe worn by the American Indians.
- noun A poisonous snake of the Southern United States. The water moccasin (Ancistrodon piscivorus) is usually found in or near water.
Etymology [An Indian word. Algonquin makisin.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “moccasin”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details