gnu
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gnu
1770–80; < Khoikhoi, first recorded as t’gnu; probably to be identified with ǂnû black, as applying originally to the black wildebeest
Explanation
Have you heard the gnus? A gnu (the "g" is silent) is a large animal with hooves that's found in the southernmost part of Africa. You can see gnus in zoos. A gnu is the same thing as a wildebeest — gnu comes from the Dutch gnoe, which has roots in the Khoisan i-ngu and the Southern Bushman !nu: (with the ! and : representing clicks). Gnus are related to antelopes, sharing their long legs, curved horns, and hooves. The official term for a group of gnus is a herd, although many writers prefer the unofficial term "an implausibility of gnus."
Vocabulary lists containing gnu
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 4
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Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"After leading the DA into the GNU, my next chapter must be to eradicate this devastating disease from our shores once and for all," the 49-year-old said.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
During the interview, the pair also pleaded to be sent to the South, according to GNU chief Jang Se-yul, himself a North Korean defector who fled the isolated country in the 2000s.
From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025
In his revised budget, the minister tried to appease his GNU partners by announcing a reduced VAT increase, to be implemented over a two-year period.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2025
U.N. diplomacy in recent years had focused on the urgency of holding national elections despite differences, rather than replacing GNU Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah and forming another interim government to oversee the vote.
From Reuters • Aug. 22, 2023
A large part of the basic tools that fill out the operating system come from the GNU Project, and these tools are also free.
From Debian GNU/Linux : Guide to Installation and Usage by Goerzen, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
