husky

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈhʌski/ UK /ˈhʌski/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
having a low, rough, or hoarse voice; also a sled dog breed

He answered in a husky whisper, weakened by the cold.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · having a low, rough, or... hoarse rough gruff throaty raspy gravellycroaky

Opposites

clear smooth mellow

Word family

Forms huskilyhuskiness

Derived forms huskilyhuskiness

Related forms husk

Simplified etymology

Husky, as the name of the northern dog, arose in the mid-19th century from Huskemaw, a Newfoundland dialect form of Eskimo. A husky was therefore originally an “Eskimo dog.”

Etymology

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).

husk Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# husky

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈhʌski/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈhʌski/

## Meanings
1. having a low, rough, or hoarse voice; also a sled dog breed

## Examples
- He answered in a husky whisper, weakened by the cold.

## Synonyms
- hoarse
- rough
- gruff
- throaty
- raspy
- gravelly
- croaky

## Antonyms
- clear
- smooth
- mellow

## Derived Forms
- huskily
- huskiness

## Related Forms
- husk

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: husk

## Etymology
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).

## AI Etymology
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.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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