músmes

Músmes means ‘cow’. Elders borrowed this word from the Chinook Jargon trade language (Chinook Jargon may have adapted it in turn from the Cree word for a moose).

Pronunciation

músmes sounds like MOOS-muss

Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips

Plural form

Músmes has a special plural form, like this: múlesmes – cows, cattle (audio here)

múlesmes

Elders make this type of plural by inserting an –l into the word. You can also just say ye músmes – the cows (ye means the, but is only used with plurals).