ankus

[ ang-kuhs, uhng-kuhsh ]

/ ˈæŋ kəs, ˈʌŋ kəʃ /

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noun, plural an·kus, an·kus·es.

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

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Origin of ankus

1885–90; <Hindi; akin to angle²

Words nearby ankus

ankle joint, ankle reflex, ankle sock, anklet, anklung, ankus, ankylo-, ankyloblepharon, ankyloglossia, ankylopoietic, ankyloproctia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use ankus in a sentence

This time I had my ankus with me, so that in case he should run away again I could prick his neck and make him behave.
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
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
It was a three-foot ankus, or elephant-goad—something like a small boat-hook.
The Second Jungle Book|Rudyard Kipling

Close to the fire, and blazing in the sunshine, lay the ruby-and-turquoise ankus.
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