ankus

[ ang-kuh s, uhng-kuh sh ]

/ ˈæŋ kəs, ˈʌŋ kəʃ /

noun, plural an·kus, an·kus·es.

an elephant goad of India with a spike and a hook at one end.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THIS MIDDLE SCHOOL PART OF SPEECH QUIZ!

How well do you know your adjectives from your adverbs? Your preposition from your pronouns? Your interjections from your conjunctions? Let’s put your knowledge of parts of speech to the text! Note: Many of the following questions will ask you to identify the parts of speech “in order.” That means the first word in all capital letters will correspond to the first option in an answer, and so on.

Question 1 of 10

In order, what parts of speech are the words in all capital letters? Alisa was VERY tired, SO she decided to go to bed.

adverb, adverb

adverb, conjunction

adjective, conjunction

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ankus

1885–90; < Hindi; akin to angle²

Words nearby ankus

ankle sock, ankle-deep, anklebone, anklet, anklung, ankus, ankylo-, ankyloblepharon, ankyloglossia, ankylopoietic, ankyloproctia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ankus

The ankus flew sparkling, and buried itself point down thirty yards away, between the trees.
The Second Jungle Book|Rudyard Kipling
On he came, amid a rising roar of approval, Speed in gorgeous robes perched on high, 295 ankus raised.
The Maids of Paradise|Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers
I spoke to him, scratched his neck with the ankus, but he would not stop.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji
If thou wilt give me the ankus to take away, it is good hunting.
The Second Jungle Book|Rudyard Kipling

Mowgli told him all his adventures from beginning to end, and Bagheera sniffed at the ankus between whiles.
The Second Jungle Book|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for ankus

ankus

/ (ˈæŋkəs) /

noun plural -kus or -kuses

a stick used, esp in India, for goading elephants

Word Origin for ankus

from Hindi

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012