elephant (English, noun)
Pronunciation: tags: Received-Pronunciation
ipa: /ˈɛlɪf(ə)nt/
tags: General-American
ipa: /ˈɛləfənt/
tags: Philippines
ipa: /el.e.fant/
note: Indic
ipa: /eliˈfænt/
note: Indic
ipa: /ˈelifant/
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”).
Definitions: examples: text: She [Diana] hath ſent (to plague vs) a huge ſauadge Boare, / Of an vn-meaſured height and magnitude. / […] / His briſtles poynted like a range of pikes / Ranck't on his backe: his foame ſnovves vvhere he feeds / His tuskes are like the Indian Oliphants.
ref: 1613, Thomas Heywood, The Brazen Age, […], London: […] Nicholas Okes, […], →OCLC, Act II, signature [C4], verso:
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glosses: A mammal of the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and two large ivory tusks jutting from the upper jaw.
tags: countable
uncountable
glosses: Any member of the subfamily Elephantinae not also of the genera Mammuthus and Primelephas.
tags: countable
uncountable
raw_tags: in particular
glosses: Anything huge and ponderous.
tags: countable
figuratively
uncountable
topics: media
printing
publishing
qualifier: paper
glosses: Synonym of elephant paper
tags: countable
uncountable
synonyms: word: elephant paper
tags: synonym
synonym-of
examples: text: Let's play hide and seek. I'll count. One elephant, two elephant, three elephant...
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80
type: example
glosses: used when counting to add length, so that each count takes about one second
tags: British
childish
countable
uncountable
examples: text: He sent rich gifts of elephant and gold.
ref: 1697, Virgil, translated by John Dryden, The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
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glosses: Ivory.
tags: obsolete
uncountable
topics: board-games
games
xiangqi
glosses: A xiangqi piece that is moved two points diagonally, may not jump over intervening pieces and may not cross the river.
tags: countable
uncountable
Forms: form: elephants
tags: plural
Synonyms: sense: animal
word: Elephas maximus
sense: animal
word: Loxodonta africana
word: elephant
word: oliphaunt
tags: archaic
Hypernyms: word: mammal
word: vertebrate
word: animal
word: creature
Hyponyms: sense: animal
word: African bush elephant
sense: animal
word: African forest elephant
sense: animal
word: Indian elephant
sense: animal
word: African elephant
word: Asian elephant
word: mammoth
word: white elephant
word: bull
word: koomkie
word: tusker
Meronyms: word: trunk
word: tusk
word: ivory
Derived terms: taxonomic: Loxodonta cyclotis
word: African bush elephant
taxonomic: Loxodonta spp.
word: African elephant
taxonomic: Loxodonta cyclotis
word: African forest elephant
taxonomic: Loxodonta africana
word: African savannah elephant
taxonomic: Elephas maximus
word: Asian elephant
taxonomic: Elephas maximus
word: Asiatic elephant
word: baby elephant in the room
taxonomic: Elephas maximus borneensis
word: Borneo elephant
word: bull elephant
word: cow elephant
word: double elephant
word: dwarf elephant
word: eat an elephant one bite at a time
word: Elephant and Castle
word: elephant apple
word: elephantback
word: elephant bed
taxonomic: Curculionoidea spp.
word: elephant beetle
word: elephant bird
alt: †Aepyornithidae
word: elephantbird
taxonomic: Curculionoidea spp.
word: elephant bug
word: elephant bush
word: elephant chess
word: elephant-color
word: elephant-colour
word: elephant cord
taxonomic: Argyreia nervosa
word: elephant creeper
word: elephantdom
word: elephant dose
word: elephant ear
word: elephant ears
word: elephant-ear tree
word: elephantesque
word: elephantess
word: elephantfish
word: elephant fish
word: elephant flipping
word: elephant folio
taxonomic: Testudinaria elephantipes etc
word: elephant foot
word: Elephant Gambit
taxonomic: Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum
word: elephant garlic
word: elephant grass
word: elephant-gravel
word: elephant-gray
word: elephant-grey
word: elephant gun
word: Elephant Hall
taxonomic: Deilephila elpenor
word: elephant hawk moth
word: elephanthood
word: elephanticide
word: elephantid
word: elephant in Cairo
word: elephant in the corner
word: elephant in the kitchen
word: elephant in the living room
word: elephant in the room
word: Elephant Island
word: elephantitis
word: elephant joke
word: elephant juice
word: elephant leg
word: elephantlike
taxonomic: Haematomyzus elephantis
word: elephant louse
word: Elephant Man
word: elephant man's disease
word: elephant man's syndrome
word: elephant on the dinner table
word: elephantophile
word: elephant paper
word: elephant-path
word: elephant pearl
word: elephant polo
word: elephant race
word: elephant-rain
word: elephantry
word: elephant's breath
taxonomic: Mirounga spp.
word: elephant seal
word: elephant's ear
word: elephant's ears
word: Elephant's Foot
word: elephant's foot
word: elephant's foot umbrella stand
word: elephant's-grass
word: elephants' graveyard
english: Callorhinchidae
word: elephant shark
taxonomic: Pedicularis groenlandica
word: elephant's head
word: elephantship
english: Macroscelididae
word: elephant shrew
word: elephant skin
taxonomic: Mormyrus hasselquistii
word: elephant snout
word: elephant's snout volute
word: elephant's teeth
word: elephant's tooth
word: elephant's toothpaste
word: elephant's trunk
alt: Pachypodium namaquanum or Agave attenuata
word: elephant trunk
word: Elephant's Trunk Nebula
taxonomic: Pachypodium namaquanum
word: elephant's trunk plant
word: elephant's tusk
word: elephant's-tusks
taxonomic: Fockea multiflora
word: elephant's-vine
word: elephant test
taxonomic: Acacia tomentosa
word: elephant thorn
word: elephant toothpaste
alt: Testudo gigantea or Testudo elaphantopus
word: elephant tortoise
word: elephant trank
word: elephant tranquilizer
word: elephant trap
taxonomic: Bursera microphylla
word: elephant tree
word: elephant-trumpet
taxonomic: Holothuria fuscopunctata
word: elephant trunkfish
taxonomic: Macrognathus aculeatus
word: elephant trunk fish
word: Elephant Trunk nebula
taxonomic: Acrochordus javanicus
word: elephant trunk snake
taxonomic: Proboscidea louisianica
word: elephant-tusk
word: elephant walk
word: elephanty
alt: Amorphophallus konjac or Amorphophallus paeoniifolius
word: elephant yam
word: Flying Elephant
taxonomic: Loxodonta cyclotis
word: forest elephant
word: get a look at the elephant
word: he-elephant
word: imperial elephant
taxonomic: Elephas maximus
word: Indian elephant
word: irrelephant
word: mammophant
word: mimophant
word: Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
alt: †Loxodonta africana pharaoensis
word: North African elephant
word: Order of the Elephant
word: pad elephant
word: pink elephant
word: pink elephants
word: pseudelephant
taxonomic: Elephas maximus borneensis
word: pygmy elephant
word: retail elephant
word: rogue elephant
word: savanna elephant
taxonomic: Loxodonta cyclotis
word: savannah elephant
word: sea-elephant
english: Mirounga
word: sea elephant
word: the elephant
word: she-elephant
word: shoot an elephant with a BB gun
word: show the elephant
taxonomic: Elephas maximus maximus
word: Sri Lankan elephant
alt: †Palaeoloxodon antiquus
word: straight-tusked elephant
taxonomic: Elephas maximus sumatranus
word: Sumatran elephant
word: temple elephant
word: war elephant
word: water elephant
word: were-elephant
word: white elephant
Related terms: word: chryselephantine
word: elephancy
word: elephanta
word: elephanter
word: elephantiac
word: elephantiasis
word: elephantic
word: Elephantidae
word: elephantine
word: elephantoid
word: Elephantopus
word: Elephas
word: general
word: advisor
word: horse
word: chariot
word: cannon
word: soldier
word: howdah
word: keddah
word: mahout
word: trumpet
word: deinothere
word: stegodont