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moc·ca·sin

(mŏkə-sĭn)

1. A soft leather slipper traditionally worn by certain Native American peoples.

2. Footwear resembling such a slipper.

3. A water moccasin.

[Of Virginia Algonquian origin and ultimately from Proto-Algonquian *maxkeseni; compare Cheyenne mo′keha, Miami mahkisini, Ojibwa makizin, and Penobscot màhksən. Sense 3, short for moccasin snake (although the reason for this name for the snake is not known).]

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moccasin

late 19th-century to early 20th-century Cheyenne beaded moccasins

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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