English word origin

Etymology of mosey

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 ↗

verb

To set off, get going; to start a journey. · To go off quickly: to hurry up. · To amble; to walk or proceed in a leisurely manner.

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

Unknown. Originally attested in Southern US dialects. Suggested origins include: * Spanish vamos (compare vamoose) * British dialectal mosey about (“walk around at leisurely pace”) * an Algonquian term for "walk" (compare Ojibwe bimose (“she or he walks along”)) * proper name Mosey, pet form of Moses, in reference to the biblical Exodus which he led

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Cognate mentionbimoseoj

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Unknown"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "alg"
      },
      "expansion": "Algonquian"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "oj",
        "2": "bimose",
        "3": "",
        "4": "she or he walks along"
      },
      "expansion": "Ojibwe bimose (“she or he walks along”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "vamoose",
      "vamoose#English"
    ],
    [
      "mosey about",
      "mosey about#English"
    ],
    [
      "bimose",
      "bimose#Ojibwe"
    ],
    [
      "Mosey",
      "Mosey#English"
    ],
    [
      "Moses",
      "Moses"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To set off, get going; to start a journey.",
        "To go off quickly: to hurry up.",
        "To amble; to walk or proceed in a leisurely manner."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "dialectal",
        "intransitive"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 818804
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A fool, an idiot.

adj

Hairy, furry. · Close, muggy; misty, hazy.

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

From moss + -y (apparently reflecting Middle English open vowel lengthening).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "moss",
        "3": "y"
      },
      "expansion": "moss + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "moss",
      "moss#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A fool, an idiot."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ireland"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 818806
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Hairy, furry.",
        "Close, muggy; misty, hazy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "regional",
        "Newfoundland"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 mosey →

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-bW9zZXk