elephant

Meaning

Noun

• A mammal of the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and two large ivory tusks jutting from the upper jaw.
• Any member of the family Elephantidae not also of the genus Mammuthus.
• Anything huge and ponderous.
• Synonym of elephant paper
• Ivory.

Related

Similar words

• Elephas maximus, Loxodonta africana
• see Appendix:Words used as placeholders to count seconds

Narrower meaning words

• African bush elephant, African forest elephant, Indian elephant, African elephant

Origin

• 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 (gen. ἐλέφαντος). Believed to be derived from an form such as Proto-Berber *eḷu ("elephant") (compare , ) 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.