quagga

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an extinct southern African subspecies of plains zebra, striped mainly on the head and front of the body

   The last known quagga died in an Amsterdam zoo in 1883.

Simplified etymology

Quagga entered English in the late 18th century through Afrikaans kwagga, probably from Khoekhoe ||koaah. The Khoekhoe name may imitate the braying call of this brown form of zebra.

Borrowed through Afrikaans kwagga and Dutch quagga from a Khoikhoi word imitating the animal's call. The scientific name Equus quagga now uses the same word for the plains zebra species, while quagga alone usually denotes the extinct southern subspecies.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary