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mukluk (MUHK-luhk) - n., a soft knee-high boot worn by Arctic aboriginal peoples usually made of sealskin or reindeer skin and lined with fur; a similar boot or slipper with a soft sole.
The latter being named and modeled after the former, but worn for different purpose, as indoor wear. The name, an Americanism, is a bit of a mangle, as it's from Iñupiat and Yupik maklak, bearded seal, the skin of which is sometimes used for them, mistaken for the name of the things themselves. The actual Inuit name for the footwear is kamik.
---L.
The latter being named and modeled after the former, but worn for different purpose, as indoor wear. The name, an Americanism, is a bit of a mangle, as it's from Iñupiat and Yupik maklak, bearded seal, the skin of which is sometimes used for them, mistaken for the name of the things themselves. The actual Inuit name for the footwear is kamik.
---L.
