Asian elephant

American  

[ey-zhuhn el-uh-fuhnt, ey-shuhn] / ˈeɪ ʒən ˈɛl ə fənt, ˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an elephant (Elephas maximus ) of Southeast Asia, the only extant species of its genus, with the Borneo elephant, Indian elephant, Sri Lankan elephant, and Sumatran elephant as subspecies, all of which are endangered, and whose cognitive function is noteworthy as, among all land animals, it has the greatest volume of cerebral cortex: compared to an African elephant, an Asian elephant is smaller and has much smaller ears, an indented rather than domed head, a trunk ending in one finger rather than two, and conspicuous tusks occurring only in the males.

---

Etymology

Origin of Asian elephant

First recorded in 1925–30

Compare meaning

How does asian-elephant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• African elephant vs. Asian elephant

Example Sentences

In Sri Lanka, Lakshitha Karunarathna documented a lone Asian elephant navigating a waste disposal site.

From BBC • Aug. 26, 2025

The Asian elephant is suffering from his time in captivity and should be moved to a sanctuary, according to a motion from Councilman Paul Koretz that a committee passed.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2025

Anchali is a 12-year-old Asian elephant who often gets sprayed down by zoo workers in the area next to Mary.

From NewsForKids.net • Nov. 21, 2024

Those would, in turn, be placed into living Asian elephant mothers to produce shaggy beasts unlike any seen in 4,000 years.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2024

It is supposed that the Asian elephant advanced far to the North during the interglacial period and perished in the recurrent glacial epoch.

From Through the Mackenzie Basin A Narrative of the Athabasca and Peace River Treaty Expedition of 1899 by Mair, Charles