moose n.

"large quadruped mammal of northern North America noted for its enormous horns," 1610s, from an Algonquian language, probably Narragansett moos or Abenaki moz (compare Penobscot muns, Ojibwa mooz, Unami Delaware /mo:s/), said by early sources to be from moosu "he strips off," supposedly in reference to the animal's stripping bark for food in winter. The plural also is moose. The Loyal Order of Moose fraternal and service organization was founded in 1888.