English
alce
Alce comes from Latin alcē ‘elk, moose (Alces alces)’, and goes back to Ancient Greek ἄλκη.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄλκη‘moose’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalcē‘elk, moose (Alces alces)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1541alce
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄλκη‘moose’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalcē‘elk, moose (Alces alces)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1541alce
Earliest quotation: 1541, Elyot, † Alce: “Alces, brought for the nonce out of the great…”
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *elhaz ‘elk’
Today it means
noun An elk.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἄλκη / alce