wildebeest en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈwɪldəbist/ (General-American)
- wĭlʹdə-bēst (General-American)
Etymology
Borrowed in the early 19th century from early Afrikaans wildebeest, modern wildebees (literally “wild ox”), with influence from beast.
Meanings
-
The gnu.
Later that morning, they wrapped Ian in a wildebeest skin and buried him near a shepherd tree.
2013, Eleanor Morse, White Dog Fell From the Sky:Dassoud […] stepped forward with a lash composed of the caudal appendages of half a dozen wildebeests.
1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin, published 2006, page 3:A group of wildebeest is called a confusion.
2019 June 6, “A gaggle, a confusion and a conspiracy - bizarre animal collective group names”, in BBC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| wildebeesten | Number=Plur | rare | lexicographic |
| wildebeest | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| wildebeests | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
Hildabeast · Hildebeast · black wildebeest · blue wildebeest
Descendants
Hypernyms
Relateds
migration · savanna · ungulate