The Spanish word 'alce', meaning 'elk' or 'moose', comes directly from the Latin word 'alce' with the same meaning. This is a straightforward inheritance where both the form and meaning have remained remarkably stable from Latin to modern Spanish.

There are no simpler or more common Spanish words that share this etymology, as 'alce' is a relatively basic term that came directly from Latin without spawning other derivatives in Spanish.

While English 'elk' might look similar to Spanish 'alce', they are not actually etymologically related. The English word comes from Germanic roots. However, the scientific name for the European elk, 'Alces alces', does use the Latin form that gave rise to the Spanish word.