antelope
[an-tl-ohp]
- any of several ruminants of the family Bovidae, chiefly of Africa and Asia, having permanent, hollow, unbranched horns.
- leather made from the hide of such an animal.
- pronghorn.
Show More
Origin of antelope
1400–50; late Middle English antelop < Middle French < Medieval Latin antalopus < Medieval Greek anthólops a fabulous beast described by Eustathius of Antioch (died 337); orig. of word unknown
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for antelope
Contemporary Examples
I also write about Germans in Minnesota and have set The Antelope Wife in Minneapolis.
In present day New Mexico, nine men run through the plains chasing after an antelope.
Historical Examples
If I bear marks, y'ought to see the antelope; and the sulky!
The Bacillus of BeautyHarriet Stark
The Antelope droves are nearly gone; Hound and lead were too much for them.
Johnny BearE. T. Seton
I vote we leave the antelope where it is for the present, and shoot a few chicken for dinner.
The Fiery TotemArgyll Saxby
A dozen of Alf's prairie chicken will not be equal to an antelope—if I get him!
The Fiery TotemArgyll Saxby
And we are as likely now to uncover a war party as a herd of antelope.
The Mountain DivideFrank H. Spearman
antelope
- any bovid mammal of the subfamily Antilopinae, of Africa and Asia. They are typically graceful, having long legs and horns, and include the gazelles, springbok, impala, gerenuk, blackbuck, and dik-diks
- any of various similar bovids of Africa and Asia
- American antelope another name for pronghorn
Show More
Word Origin
C15: from Old French antelop, from Medieval Latin antalopus, from Late Greek antholops a legendary beast
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
Word Origin and History for antelope
n.
early 15c., from Old French antelop, from Medieval Latin ant(h)alopus (11c.), from Greek antholops (attested in Eusebius of Antioch, c.336 C.E.), a fabulous animal haunting the banks of the Euphrates, very savage, hard to catch and having long saw-like horns capable of cutting down trees. Original sense and language unknown (it looks like Greek "flower-eye," as if from anthos + ops, but that may be a result of Greek folk etymology). A heraldic animal, also known in Medieval Latin as talopus and calopus, the name was applied c.1600 to a living type of deer-like mammal. In the western U.S., it is used in reference to the pronghorn.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper