husky¹

[huhs-kee] /ˈhʌs ki/

adjective, huskier, huskiest.

big and strong; burly.

(of the voice) having a semiwhispered vocal tone; somewhat hoarse, as when speaking with a cold or from grief or passion.

like, covered with, or full of husks.

made in a size meant for the larger or heavier than average boy:

size 18 husky pants.

for, pertaining to, or wearing clothing in this size:

the husky department; husky boys.

noun, plural huskies.

a size of garments meant for the larger or heavier than average boy.

Origin

1545-55; husk + -y¹

Related forms

huskily, adverb

huskiness, noun

Synonyms

1. robust, brawny, strapping. 2. harsh, gruff, rasping, throaty.

husky²

[huhs-kee] /ˈhʌs ki/

noun, plural huskies. Informal.

a big, strong person.

Origin

1865-70; noun use of husky¹, with the suffix taken as -y²

husky³

[huhs-kee] /ˈhʌs ki/

noun, plural huskies. (sometimes initial capital letter)

Eskimo dog.

Siberian Husky.

Canadian Slang.

an Inuit.
the language of the Inuit.

Origin

1870-75; by ellipsis from husky dog, husky breed; compare Newfoundland and Labrador dial. Husky a Labrador Inuit, earlier Huskemaw, Uskemaw, ultimately < the same Algonquian source as Eskimo

Examples from the web for husky

He pulls his husky frame out of the car and lifts the wagon's hatch.
She's a husky so if the food had fish it made sense.
If the husky tries to sniff my dog, my dog bares his teeth and stiffs his back fur.
Dark, husky aromas swirl through the palace as incense made specially of local spices finds its way into the thick tropical air.
There's the husky voice, expressive eyes and charismatic smile.
She tossed a fish eye and then a jawbone to the husky standing, panting at her feet.
Since you work with fearful dogs, maybe you could give me some ideas how to treat my husky mix.
It then began to register all over the place, from a gruff and husky whisper to a papery, plaintive bleat.

British Dictionary definitions for husky

husky¹

/ˈhʌskɪ/

adjective huskier, huskiest

(of a voice, an utterance, etc) slightly hoarse or rasping

of, like, or containing husks

(informal) big, strong, and well-built

Derived Forms

huskily, adverb
huskiness, noun

Word Origin

C19: probably from husk, from the toughness of a corn husk

husky²

/ˈhʌskɪ/

noun (pl) huskies

a breed of Arctic sled dog with a thick dense coat, pricked ears, and a curled tail

(Canadian, slang)

a member of the Inuit people
the Inuit language

Word Origin

C19: probably based on Eskimo

Word Origin and History for husky

adj.

"hoarse," c.1722 in reference to a cattle disease (of persons, 1740), from husk on the notion of "dry as a husk." Earlier (1550s) "having husks." Sense of "tough and strong" (like corn husks) is first found 1869, American English. Related: Huskily; huskiness.

"Eskimo dog," 1852, Canadian English, earlier (1830) hoskey "an Eskimo," probably shortened variant of Ehuskemay (1743), itself a variant of Eskimo.

The moment any vessel is noticed steering for these islands [Whalefish Islands], the Esquimaux, or "Huskies,"* as the Danes customarily term them, come off in sufficient numbers to satisfy you that you are near the haunts of uncivilized men, and will afford sufficient information to guide any stranger to his anchorage. *"Husky" is their own term. I recollect the chorus to a song at Kamtchatka was "Husky, Husky." ["Last of the Arctic Voyages," London, 1855]