What does "malamute" mean?

A breed of dog of the husky type, originally bred for its strength to haul freight as a sled dog.

What is a synonym for "malamute"?

Common synonyms include: alaskan malamute, ass, beast of burden, camel, dog, draft animal.

Pronounced //ˈmæ.ləˌmjuːt//.

//ˈmæ.ləˌmjuːt// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A breed of dog of the husky type, originally bred for its strength to haul freight as a sled dog.
2
A member of an Inupiak people who live in western Alaska and are known for breeding malamute dogs.
3
breed of sled dog developed in Alaska wordnet

"My dog is an Alaskan malamute, not a husky."

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Inupiaq malimiut, so called because the dogs were bred by the Malamute people of western Alaska. First attested in 1884.

Etymology 2

From Inupiaq malimiut.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.