English word origin

Etymology of morse

From Middle French mors, from Latin morsus (“bite; clasp”), from mordere (“to bite”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A clasp or fastening used to fasten a cope in the front, usually decorative.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle French mors, from Latin morsus (“bite; clasp”), from mordere (“to bite”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionmorsfrm
Derivation mentionmorsusla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "mors"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French mors"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "morsus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "bite; clasp"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin morsus (“bite; clasp”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mors",
      "mors#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "morsus",
      "morsus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "mordere",
      "mordere#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A clasp or fastening used to fasten a cope in the front, usually decorative."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "d99c55d67c8de15133670be4b28d5fb07478148fd57780306894de93452c2ec5",
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Synonym of walrus.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Uncertain, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Sami *moršë. Compare Russian морж (morž, “walrus”), Sami morša, Finnish mursu (all attested later), and possibly the second element of translingual Rosmarus.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mention*moršësmi-pro
Cognate mentionморжru
Cognate mentionmursufi
Cognate mentionRosmarusmul

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "smi-pro",
        "3": "*moršë"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Sami *moršë"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "морж",
        "3": "",
        "4": "walrus"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian морж (morž, “walrus”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "smi"
      },
      "expansion": "Sami"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fi",
        "2": "mursu"
      },
      "expansion": "Finnish mursu"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "mul",
        "2": "Rosmarus"
      },
      "expansion": "translingual Rosmarus"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*moršë",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Sami/moršë"
    ],
    [
      "морж",
      "морж#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "morša",
      "morša"
    ],
    [
      "mursu",
      "mursu#Finnish"
    ],
    [
      "Rosmarus",
      "Rosmarus#Translingual"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of walrus."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for morse →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bW9yc2U