antelope
/ˈantɪləʊp
/noun (plural same or antelopes)
1A swift-running deer-like ruminant with smooth hair and upward-pointing horns, of a group native to Africa and Asia that includes the gazelles, impala, gnus, and elands.
- Many genera and species, in the family Bovidae.
- In eastern Africa, they mostly hunt Thomson's gazelles, but they will also attack calves, warthogs, zebras, impalas, and the young of large antelopes such as the gnu.
- First described 200 years ago it is also now one Africa's most endangered antelopes despite being one of the most reproductive.
1.1North American another term for pronghorn.Ranchers and farmers also killed pronghorn, erroneously believing the antelope would take away forage from sheep or cattle....
- The American antelope can run at speeds up to 60mph.
Origin
Late Middle English (originally the name of a fierce mythical creature with long serrated horns, said to live on the banks of the Euphrates): via Old French and medieval Latin from late Greek antholops, of unknown origin and meaning.
Before 17th-century zoologists gave the name to a fast-running horned animal, an antelope was a fierce mythical creature with long serrated horns that was believed to live on the banks of the River Euphrates and was often depicted in heraldic designs. It was said to be able to use its saw-like horns to cut down trees. Although the word came into English via Old French and medieval Latin from Greek antholops, the origin and meaning of the Greek word is a mystery.