wapiti

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the North American elk (Cervus canadensis), a large deer whose males bear branching antlers

   At dusk, a bull wapiti called from the edge of the forest.

Borrowed from Shawnee waapiti, literally "white rump," a descriptive name for the animal's pale rump patch. English has used wapiti since the early nineteenth century as another name for the North American elk.

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