African elephant

[ af-ri-kuhn el-uh-fuhnt ]

noun

1. an elephant of the genus Loxodonta, with two extant species, the larger African bush elephant and the African forest elephant, both found in sub-Saharan Africa and previously considered subspecies rather than genetically distinct: Compared to an Asian elephant, an African elephant is larger and has enormous ears, a rounder head, a trunk ending in two fingers rather than one, and conspicuous tusks occurring in both sexes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of African elephant¹

First recorded in 1600–20

Example Sentences

The African Elephant is a most "industrious digger," and grubs up innumerable roots as food.

From Project Gutenberg