husky comes from husk + -y, originally meaning 'dry as a husk', hence of a voice 'dry, hoarse'. The dog-breed noun is a separate word, an alteration of Eskimo (via Husky, from Cree dialect). Morphologically, the ending is part of the etymology: the suffix is attached to the older base named in the history, producing a later English derivative. In present English, the adjective sense is "having a low, rough, or hoarse voice; also a sled dog breed", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as husk, and in derivatives such as huskily and huskiness. Its semantic neighborhood includes hoarse, rough, gruff, and throaty, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Middle English husk.