All Geese and No Meese
- Susan "Zuzu" Skelly
- Oct 1, 2021
- 1 min read
Updated: Oct 5, 2021
English plurals can be confusing.
Have you ever noticed that the plural of goose is geese, but the plural of moose is moose and thought, “Why isn’t it meese”?”
Short Answer
Because goose and moose entered the English language at different times and were taken from different languages, they ended up with different plural forms – geese and moose.
Long(er) Answer
Goose rhymes with moose but it came into the English language a lot earlier than moose did.
Goose has Germanic roots and comes from the Old English word gōs. That means goose had been around for a long, long time before moose came along. Old English was used from around 450 CE to 1150 CE.
It also means that goose was given its plural form based on the Old English rules for creating plurals. Back then, the plural of gōs would have been gósiz. Eventually, that rule changed and the new plural of gōs became gés, which later turned into geese.
Moose was taken from Algonquian, a Native American language family, and was not changed much when it was adopted in the 1600s. Compare moòs (Algonquian) to moose (English). Apparently, there was no plural form of the word moòs, and English did not give it one, not even mooses.
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This post gave me a fun little grammar history lesson! As someone who enjoys capturing the beauty of nature through fly fishing watercolor paintings, I often think about how language and imagery evolve in interesting ways—just like the words “geese” and “moose.” Both nature and language are full of quirks that make them endlessly inspiring!
This was such a fun read! English plurals are definitely quirky, and “meese” would’ve made total sense if we didn’t know the history behind it. I came across this while researching topics for my work with affordable international package forwarding companies, and it’s crazy how language evolves just like shipping terms do over time. Thanks for sharing this insight!
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What a fun and fascinating read! English plurals can definitely be quirky. It’s interesting how the roots of a word influence its modern form—makes me think of how important strong foundations are in other areas too. As a pool deck contractors, I can relate—what you start with really shapes the outcome, whether it's language or landscaping!
Great post! Language quirks like these are always fascinating. It's funny how “moose” stayed the same while “goose” evolved into “geese.” Speaking of things that need clarity, I was recently searching for a reliable solar panel cleaning service near me—sometimes, finding the right words and services can be equally tricky! Thanks for the fun read.