husky

See also: Husky

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈhʌs.ki/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌski

Etymology 1

From husk +‎ -y; in relation to voice, from the sense "dry as a husk" or "tough as a husk".

Adjective

husky (comparative huskier, superlative huskiest)

1. (of a voice) Hoarse and rough-sounding; throaty.
   • 1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Search for Mr. Hyde”, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 25:

     Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering and somewhat broken voice; all these were points against him, but not all of these together could explain the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing and fear with which Mr. Utterson regarded him.

   • 1948, Truman Capote, Other Voices, Other Rooms, Part One, 1:

     Her voice was boy-husky, sounding as though strained through some rough material ...

2. (US, euphemistic) Burly, stout; sometimes as a modifier for boys' clothing sizes that fit a large waist or chest.
   • 1910, Hamlin Garland, Other Main-Travelled Roads:

     You look like a good, husky man to pitch in the barnyard […]

   • 1965, Popular Mechanics, September issue, page 22:

     Word got around quickly that this plane, which has been flying since January, is bigger and huskier than our proposed C-5A […]

3. Abounding with husks; consisting of husks.
   • 1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     Some swains have sown before: but most have found
     A husky harvest from the grudging ground.

4. (slang, archaic) Belligerent; hostile and uncooperative.
   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     “Well, here it is,” said Silver. “We want that treasure, and we’ll have it — that’s our point! You would just as soon save your lives, I reckon; and that’s yours. You have a chart, haven’t you?”
     “That’s as may be,” replied the captain.
     “Oh, well, you have, I know that,” returned Long John. “You needn’t be so husky with a man; there ain’t a particle of service in that, and you may lay to it. What I mean is, we want your chart. Now, I never meant you no harm, myself.”

Derived terms

• huskily
• huskiness

Translations

hoarse and rough-sounding

• Bulgarian: дрезгав (bg) (drezgav), прегракнал (bg) (pregraknal)
• Catalan: ronc (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 沙啞 / 沙哑 (zh) (shāyǎ), 嘶啞 / 嘶哑 (zh) (sīyǎ)

• Finnish: käheä (fi)
• French: rauque (fr), enroué (fr)
• Galician: rouco
• German: heiser (de)
• Greek: βραχνός (el) (vrachnós)
• Hungarian: rekedt (hu), fátyolos (hu)
• Icelandic: rámur
• Japanese: しゃがれた (ja) (shagareta)
• Norman: enroué
• Portuguese: enrouquecido, rouco (pt)
• Russian: хри́плый (ru) (xríplyj), си́плый (ru) (síplyj), охри́пший (ru) (oxrípšij), оси́плый (ru) (osíplyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: hrapav (sh), mukao (sh)
• Spanish: ronco (es), rauco m, aguardentoso (es) m, aguardientoso m (Mexico), afónico (es) m, enronquecido (es) m
• Swedish: hes (sv)

burly, thick; fat, overweight

• Bulgarian: як (bg) (jak), мощен (bg) (mošten)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: vankka (fi)
• German: stämmig (de), pummelig (de)
• Hungarian: nagydarab (hu), robusztus (hu), tagbaszakadt (hu), tenyeres-talpas (hu)
• Russian: доро́дный (ru) (doródnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: potkožen (sh)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} enroué (fr)
• Ido: ^{(please verify)} rauka (io)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} corpulento (it), ^{(please verify)} robusto (it)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} fornido (es), ^{(please verify)} robusto (es)

Etymology 2

Shortening of husky dog, where husky is ultimately from the same Old Montagnais root as Eskimo.

Noun

Two Alaskan huskies in harness

husky (plural huskies)

1. Any of several breeds of dogs used as sled dogs.

   Synonym: polar dog

   • 2026 January 14, Ben Makuch, “White House post nods to racist, far-right subculture, extremism expert says”, in The Guardian‎^[1], archived from the original on 15 January 2026:

     The White House posted a cartoon to X on Wednesday of two Greenlandic mush teams with three huskies each, pointing towards the choice of the white pillars and the South Lawn or a tempestuous scene by the Great Wall of China and Red Square in Russia.

Alternative forms

• huskie

Derived terms

• Horgi
• huskysona
• Labsky
• Mackenzie River husky
• Pomsky
• Samusky
• Siberian husky

Related terms

• Eskimo
• Husky (an Eskimo person; an Eskimo language)

Translations

any of several breeds of dogs used as sled dogs

• Ahtna: łicox
• Bulgarian: хъски n (hǎski)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 哈士奇 (zh) (hāshìqí), 二哈 (zh) (èrhā) (slang, humorous)

• Esperanto: ĥaskio
• Finnish: husky (fi)
• French: husky (fr) m
• German: Husky m, Polarhund (de) m
• Greek: χάσκυ (chásky)
• Irish: huscaí (ga) m
• Italian: husky
• Japanese: ハスキー犬 (hasukī-ken), ハスキー (ja) (hasukī)
• Macedonian: хаски n (haski)
• Malay: huski
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: husky (no) m

  Nynorsk: husky m

• Polish: husky (pl) m
• Portuguese: husky (pt) m or f
• Russian: эскимо́сская ла́йка f (eskimósskaja lájka), ха́ски (ru) f (xáski)
• Serbo-Croatian: haski
• Spanish: husky
• Tanana:

  Lower Tanana: ɬichwx

• Welsh: hysgi m

Further reading

• husky on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Category:husky on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɦuskɪ]

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English husky.

Noun

husky m anim

1. husky (breed of dog)

Declension

Declension of husky (masculine animate in -i/-y)

	singular	plural
nominative	husky	huskyové, husky
genitive	huskyho	huskyů, huskych
dative	huskymu	huskyům, huskym
accusative	huskyho	huskye, husky
vocative	husky	huskyové, husky
locative	huskym	huskyích, huskych
instrumental	huskym	huskyi, huskymi

Etymology 2

Noun

husky

1. (informal) inflection of huska:
   1. genitive singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative plural

   Synonyms: husy, husičky

Related terms

• husa
• husička
• huska

Finnish

Etymology

< English husky

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑski/, [ˈhɑ̝s̠k̟i]
• IPA^(key): /ˈhuski/, [ˈhus̠k̟i]
• IPA^(key): /ˈhusky/, [ˈhus̠k̟y]
• Rhymes: -ɑski
• Syllabification^(key): hus‧ky
• Hyphenation^(key): hus‧ky

Noun

husky

1. husky (dog)

Declension

Inflection of husky (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		husky	huskyt
genitive		huskyn	huskyjen
partitive		huskyä	huskyjä
illative		huskyyn	huskyihin
		singular	plural
nominative		husky	huskyt
accusative	nom.	husky	huskyt
	gen.	huskyn
genitive		huskyn	huskyjen
partitive		huskyä	huskyjä
inessive		huskyssä	huskyissä
elative		huskystä	huskyistä
illative		huskyyn	huskyihin
adessive		huskyllä	huskyillä
ablative		huskyltä	huskyiltä
allative		huskylle	huskyille
essive		huskynä	huskyinä
translative		huskyksi	huskyiksi
abessive		huskyttä	huskyittä
instructive		—	huskyin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of husky (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative huskyni huskyni accusative nom. huskyni huskyni gen. huskyni genitive huskyni huskyjeni partitive huskyäni huskyjäni inessive huskyssäni huskyissäni elative huskystäni huskyistäni illative huskyyni huskyihini adessive huskylläni huskyilläni ablative huskyltäni huskyiltäni allative huskylleni huskyilleni essive huskynäni huskyinäni translative huskykseni huskyikseni abessive huskyttäni huskyittäni instructive — — comitative — huskyineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative huskysi huskysi accusative nom. huskysi huskysi gen. huskysi genitive huskysi huskyjesi partitive huskyäsi huskyjäsi inessive huskyssäsi huskyissäsi elative huskystäsi huskyistäsi illative huskyysi huskyihisi adessive huskylläsi huskyilläsi ablative huskyltäsi huskyiltäsi allative huskyllesi huskyillesi essive huskynäsi huskyinäsi translative huskyksesi huskyiksesi abessive huskyttäsi huskyittäsi instructive — — comitative — huskyinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative huskymme huskymme accusative nom. huskymme huskymme gen. huskymme genitive huskymme huskyjemme partitive huskyämme huskyjämme inessive huskyssämme huskyissämme elative huskystämme huskyistämme illative huskyymme huskyihimme adessive huskyllämme huskyillämme ablative huskyltämme huskyiltämme allative huskyllemme huskyillemme essive huskynämme huskyinämme translative huskyksemme huskyiksemme abessive huskyttämme huskyittämme instructive — — comitative — huskyinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative huskynne huskynne accusative nom. huskynne huskynne gen. huskynne genitive huskynne huskyjenne partitive huskyänne huskyjänne inessive huskyssänne huskyissänne elative huskystänne huskyistänne illative huskyynne huskyihinne adessive huskyllänne huskyillänne ablative huskyltänne huskyiltänne allative huskyllenne huskyillenne essive huskynänne huskyinänne translative huskyksenne huskyiksenne abessive huskyttänne huskyittänne instructive — — comitative — huskyinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative huskynsä huskynsä accusative nom. huskynsä huskynsä gen. huskynsä genitive huskynsä huskyjensä partitive huskyään huskyänsä huskyjään huskyjänsä inessive huskyssään huskyssänsä huskyissään huskyissänsä elative huskystään huskystänsä huskyistään huskyistänsä illative huskyynsä huskyihinsä adessive huskyllään huskyllänsä huskyillään huskyillänsä ablative huskyltään huskyltänsä huskyiltään huskyiltänsä allative huskylleen huskyllensä huskyilleen huskyillensä essive huskynään huskynänsä huskyinään huskyinänsä translative huskykseen huskyksensä huskyikseen huskyiksensä abessive huskyttään huskyttänsä huskyittään huskyittänsä instructive — — comitative — huskyineen huskyinensä

In speech, type 5 (risti) is normally used, giving for instance (with /ˈhɑski/) nominative singular haski, genitive haskin, partitive haskia, nominative plural haskit and genitive plural haskien.

Derived terms

compounds

• alaskanhusky
• siperianhusky

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English husky.

Noun

husky m (definite singular huskyen, indefinite plural huskyer, definite plural huskyene)

1. a husky (breed of dog)

References

• “husky” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English husky.

Noun

husky m (definite singular huskyen, indefinite plural huskyar, definite plural huskyane)

1. husky (breed of dog)

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English husky.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxas.ki/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aski
• Syllabification: hus‧ky

Noun

husky m animal (indeclinable)

1. husky (dog)

Further reading

• husky in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• husky in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English husky.

Noun

husky m (plural huskys)

1. husky (dogs)

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.