Kwagga

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A now-extinct species of horse native to South Africa characterized by its unique striped pattern, especially on its hindquarters
2. Referring to a zebra-like creature known historically for its unique coloration and belonging to the horse family
3. Denoting an animal that resembled a zebra, known for its distinct stripes, which was native to the Cape region and became extinct in the 19th century

Etymology: The quagga is the animal that taught Europeans a lesson about extinction: it is gone, and its closest living relatives are the zebras that still roam southern Africa. The name comes from a Khoisan term, probably from the Haiǁom or Khoekhoe languages, whose word "ǁkoaah" is thought to be imitative, perhaps echoing the animal's call. Dutch settlers in the Cape adopted it as "quagga," and Afrikaans kept the form "kwagga." The animal was a plains zebra in the broad sense, but its stripes faded toward the rear, leaving the hindquarters and legs brownish, so it looked like a half-striped horse. Its name was used in English for the animal and, in the spelling "kwagga," it is now an obsolete variant of the common form.

Synonyms: quagga