Meanings
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1
noun
A very large grey animal with a long trunk and big ears, found in Africa and Asia.
We watched a herd of elephants drinking at the river.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
oliphaunt
Word family
Forms
elephants
Derived forms
elephant's-grasselephant's-tuskselephant's-vineelephant-colorelephant-colourelephant-gravelelephant-grayelephant-greyelephant-pathelephant-rainelephant-trumpetelephant-tusk
Related forms
chryselephantinedeinothereelephancyelephantaelephanterelephantiacelephantiasiselephanticelephantidaeelephantineelephantoidelephantopus
Etymology
From Middle English elefant, elefaunt, from Old French elefant, elefan, olifant, re-latinized in Middle French as elephant, from Latin elephantus, from Ancient Greek ἐλέφᾱς (eléphās) (gen. ἐλέφαντος (eléphantos)). Believed to be derived from an Afroasiatic form such as Proto-Berber *eḷu (“elephant”) (compare Tamahaq êlu, Tamasheq alu) or Egyptian ꜣbw (“elephant; ivory”). More at ivory. Replaced Middle English olifant (from the aforementioned Old French form, from Vulgar Latin *olifantus), which replaced Old English elpend (“elephant”).
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