Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “moccasin” come from?

Moccasin comes from Powhatan mockasins, a word of unknown original meaning that entered English through contact with Powhatan-speaking peoples of Virginia.

moccasin (English): A traditional Native North American shoe, usually...

Definitions

  1. A traditional Native North American shoe, usually...

Ancestry of “moccasin”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Powhatanmockasin—
2Proto-Algonquianmaxkesenimoccasin, shoe

Words derived from “moccasin”

  • moccasined
  • mocasín
  • мокасин
  • მოკასინი
Every word from Proto-Algonquian maxkeseni →