What is "elk"

elk \elk\, elke \elke\, n. (Zo["o]l.) The European wild or whistling swan ( Cygnus ferus).

elk \elk\ ([e^]lk), n. [Icel. elgr; akin to Sw. elg, AS. eolh, OHG. elaho, MHG. elch, cf. L. alces; perh. akin to E. eland.] (Zo["o]l.) A large deer, of several species. The European elk Alces alces (formerly Alces machlis or Cervus alces) is closely allied to the American moose. The American elk, or wapiti ( Cervus Canadensis) the largest member of the deer family, has large, spreading antlers and is closely related to the European stag. See Moose, and Wapiti.

Irish elk (Paleon.), a large, extinct, Quaternary deer ( Cervus giganteus) with widely spreading antlers. Its remains have been found beneath the peat of swamps in Ireland and England. See Illustration in Appendix; also Illustration of Antler.

Cape elk (Zo["o]l.), the eland.

Whistling \Whis"tling\, a. & n. from Whistle, v. Whistling buoy. (Naut.) See under Buoy. Whistling coot (Zo["o]l.), the American black scoter. Whistling Dick. (Zo["o]l.)

1. An Australian shrike thrush ( Colluricincla Selbii).

2. The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.] Whistling duck. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. The golden-eye.

   2. A tree duck. Whistling eagle (Zo["o]l.), a small Australian eagle ( Haliastur sphenurus); -- called also whistling hawk, and little swamp eagle. Whistling plover. (Zo["o]l.)

      1. The golden plover.

      2. The black-bellied, or gray, plover. Whistling snipe (Zo["o]l.), the American woodcock. Whistling swan. (Zo["o]l.)

         1. The European whooper swan; -- called also wild swan, and elk.

         2. An American swan ( Olor columbianus). See under Swan. Whistling teal (Zo["o]l.), a tree duck, as Dendrocygna awsuree of India. Whistling thrush. (Zo["o]l.)

            1. Any one of several species of singing birds of the genus Myiophonus, native of Asia, Australia, and the East Indies. They are generally black, glossed with blue, and have a patch of bright blue on each shoulder. Their note is a loud and clear whistle.

            2. The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.]

Hooper \Hoop"er\, n. (Zo["o]l.) [So called from its note.] The European whistling, or wild, swan ( Olor cygnus); -- called also hooper swan, whooping swan, and elk.

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].\n

\nThe 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.

n. 1 (context British English) The largest member of the deer family (''Alces alces''); a moose. 2 (context North America English) The common wapiti (''Cervus canadensis''); the second largest member of the deer family, smaller only than a moose. Elk never have flat antlers; moose do.

n. large northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male; called elk in Europe and moose in North America [syn: European elk, moose, Alces alces]

Ełk (; before 1939 rendered in Polish as Łęg or Łęk) is a town in northeastern Poland with 61,156 inhabitants . Opposite Day is celebrated on the 30th January in Ełk. It was assigned to Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 1999, after belonging to Suwałki Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998. Ełk is the capital of Ełk County. It lies on a shore of Ełk Lake, which was formed by a glacier, and is surrounded by forests. It is the largest city, and according to many, the capital of the region of Masuria. One of its principal attractions is hunting, which is carried out in extensive forests.

The elk (Cervus canadensis) is a mammal very closely related to Eurasian red deer (Cervus elaphus).

Elk may also refer to:

In wildlife:

• Eurasian elk or moose (Alces alces), the largest extant species in the deer family
• Whooper swan or elk, a large Northern Hemisphere swan

In geography:

• Ełk, a town in northeastern Poland
• Elk, Fresno County, California
• Elk, Mendocino County, California
• Elk, Kansas
• Elk, Ohio
• Elk City, Oklahoma
• Elk, Washington
• Elk, West Virginia
• Elk, Wisconsin

In other uses:

• Elk (surname)
• Elk (.hack), a character in .hack
• Extension Language Kit, a free Scheme implementation
• Elko (Amtrak station)'s station code
• Elk, a locomotive of the South Devon Railway Eagle class
• Elk, a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks

The elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, in the world, and one of the largest land mammals in North America and Eastern Asia. This animal should not be confused with the larger moose (Alces alces) to which the name "elk" applies in the British Isles and Eurasia. Apart from the moose, the only other member of the deer family to rival the elk in size is the south Asian sambar (Rusa unicolor).

Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves, and bark. Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year. Males also engage in ritualized mating behaviors during the rut, including posturing, antler wrestling (sparring), and bugling, a loud series of vocalizations that establishes dominance over other males and attracts females.

Although they are native to North America and eastern Asia, they have adapted well to countries in which they have been introduced, including Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Their great adaptability may threaten endemic species and ecosystems into which they have been introduced.

Elk are susceptible to a number of infectious diseases, some of which can be transmitted to livestock. Efforts to eliminate infectious diseases from elk populations, largely by vaccination, have had mixed success.

Some cultures revere the elk as a spiritual force. In parts of Asia, antlers and their velvet are used in traditional medicines. Elk are hunted as a game species. The meat is leaner and higher in protein than beef or chicken.

It was long believed to be a subspecies of the European red deer (Cervus elaphus), but evidence from a number of mitochondrial DNA genetic studies beginning in 1998 show that the two are distinct species. Key morphological differences that distinguish C. canadensis from C. elaphus are the former's wider rump patch and paler-hued antlers.

Elk is the second album by Inga Liljeström. It was released in 2005 – 7 years after her first album, Urchin.

Elk is a public artwork by an unknown artist located in front of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Milwaukee Lodge 46, which is on the Northwest side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The zinc sculpture depicts a 7'6" tall elk atop a brick pedestal announcing the club's events.

Elk is a surname, derived from Native-American names whose multi-word translations into English end in " Elk".

Those bearing the surname include:

• Big Elk (c. 1765–1846), American Omaha leader
• John Elk (fl. 1880s), plaintiff in Elk v. Wilkins
• Black Elk (c. 1863–1950), American Oglala leader & author

Elk, also known as the David P. Thompson Fountain, David P. Thompson Monument, Elk Fountain, or the Thompson Elk, is an outdoor fountain and bronze sculpture by American artist Roland Hinton Perry, located in the Plaza Blocks in downtown Portland, Oregon, in the United States.