Arabian oryx

American  

[uh-rey-bee-uhn awr-iks] / əˈreɪ bi ən ˈɔr ɪks /

noun

plural

Arabian oryxes,

plural

Arabian oryx

1. a large antelope, Oryx leucoryx, the smallest of the oryxes, with a white coat, conspicuous shoulder bump, and nearly straight horns that can reach a length of 30 inches (76 centimeters) on both the males and females: the only oryx native to Arabia rather than Africa, in 2011 it became the first animal to have rebounded to a status of vulnerable after having been classified, in 1972, as extinct in the wild.

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Etymology

Origin of Arabian oryx

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

When visiting Boy Scouts press their faces against the diorama glass as if they were trapped inside, a girl wears braids that look like the horns of the Arabian oryx she is contemplating, and a very much alive elephant crosses from stage right, we may begin to wonder which side of the glass is holding back the wildness of nature.

From Los Angeles Times

Spread across the property were 1,000 sheep, eight Arabian oryx, four horses, two camels and one falcon — what Mr. Al Misned called his working farm — cultivated over the past decade.

From New York Times

The paint on the tail of one of the A350s emblazoned with Qatar Airways' maroon Arabian Oryx emblem was pockmarked by cracked and missing paint that exposed the layer beneath.

From Reuters

Przewalski’s horse and the Arabian oryx are among successful examples.

From Seattle Times

Only two other sites have lost their heritage status: The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman, in 2007, after the number of oryx dropped precipitously and the government cut the size of the sanctuary by 90 percent; and the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany, two years later, because of the construction of a bridge that cut through it.

From New York Times