Antilope

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large, swift herbivorous mammal of the family Bovidae, known for its long legs and slender body and often found in various grassland habitats
2. A species of ungulate characterized by its agility and running speed, commonly inhabiting areas from savannas to forests
3. An animal belonging to a group of hoofed mammals, typically having hollow horns and grazing primarily on grass and leaves

Etymology: The name passed through several languages before reaching English. Medieval Latin writers used "anthalopus" for a creature that Greek sources had called "antholops," and that Greek form is the ancestor of the English word. Scholars have not agreed on what the Greek word itself is built from, so its internal parts remain uncertain. The spelling "antilope" is a variant of the more common "antelope," shaped by French, which supplied the form that English borrowed. The word covers a large family of swift, hoofed grazing animals found mainly in Africa and Asia. Its shape has shifted through the centuries, but its core meaning, a slender, fast-running hoofed beast, has stayed much the same.

Synonyms: antelope, deer, gazelle