עלק
דער
עליק
'elk'

ETYMOLOGY

{DW² writes that the after elk were hunted out in most of Europe in the Middle Ages, the old High German name Elch was lost. Familiarity with American variety of elk led to introduction of the English word at the end of the 18th c. The High German name was revived in the 19th c. and came to dominate by 1900. Eastern Yiddish perhaps adopted the word from NHG in the 19th c., when the English form was still usual.}
Latin (Germanic loan) alcēs, Greek (Germanic loan) ἄλκη, ON elgr, OE ē̆ola, eolh, English elk, OS elacho, LG elk, OHG elaho, elho, MHG elch, NHG Elch; from PGmc ✱algi- or ✱elha(n)- (ablauting variants) (or from ✱elha-/ōn); from PIE ✱h₁ol-ḱ-i- or h₁el-ḱo(n)- 'deer' < ✱h₁el- 'deer' (or 'red, brown'?)+ ḱ.
Related: Russian лось, Polish łoś, Sanskrit ŕ̥śya- 'male antelope', Greek ἔλαφος 'deer'