elk: [OE] The Indo-European base *ol-, *elproduced a number of names for deerlike animals – Greek élaphos ‘stag’, for example, and Welsh elain ‘hind’, not to mention English eland. In its Germanic descendants, two main lines of development are evident: its extensions *olk- and *elk- produced respectively Germanic *algiz (whence Old Norse elgr) and Germanic *elkho(n)- (whence Old English colh).
It is not actually entirely clear which of these two is represented by modern English elk, which is first unequivocally recorded in the late 15th century. It is formally possible that it could be a survival of the Old English word, with its final /kh/ sound changed to /k/, but the long gap in the written record between Old English eolh and Middle English elk suggests that it could be an Old Norse borrowing. => eland
elk (n.)
late Old English elch, from Old Norse elgr or from an alteration of Old English elh, eolh (perhaps via French scribes), or possibly from Middle High German elch (OED's suggestion), all from Proto-Germanic *elkh- (source also of Old High German elaho). The modern word "is not the normal phonetic representative" of the Old English one [OED].
The Germanic words are related to the general word for "deer" in Balto-Slavic (such as Russian losu, Czech los; also see eland), from PIE *olki-, perhaps with reference to the reddish color from root *el- (2) "red, brown" (in animal and tree names); compare Sanskrit harina- "deer," from hari- "reddish-brown." Greek alke and Latin alces probably are Germanic loan-words. Applied to similar-looking but unrelated animals in North America. Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks founded N.Y.C. 1868, originally a society of actors and writers.
双语例句
1. I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.
我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
来自辞典例句
2. It was quite an Elk night.
真是我们兄弟会的盛会.
来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
3. To the north, ELK Mountain is another well - known landmark, about 100 miles distant.
在北边, 埃尔克山脉是另一处著名的风光, 大约有100英里远.
来自英语晨读30分（高三）
4. The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.
这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群.
来自互联网
5. Picture 2, Elk Grove Chinese Association 10 th anniversary cake.
