Appaloosa Definition

Origin of Appaloosa

• From the phrase "a Palouse horse", referring to the Palouse River near which they were first encountered by non-Native Americans. The river is named for the Palouse region; whether the region's name is (an anglicisation of) a francisation of the Sahaptin name of the Palus people or the people's name derives from a French designation of the region as pelouse is unclear.

  From Wiktionary

• Shortening of "Appaloosa cat" (itself a shortening of "Apaloosa catfish"), after the Appaloosa (Opelousa) tribe which resided in Louisiana. The tribe's name is Choctaw, the second element of it being losa (“black”); the first element is variously supposed to be a term for "head" or "skull", "leggings", "moccasins", or "body".

  From Wiktionary

• Perhaps after the Palouse River of the region where the breed was developed (perhaps influenced by United States regional appaloosa flathead catfish, a mottled species of catfish) (probably from Choctaw apolusa daubed)

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition