bighorn

¹ American  

[big-hawrn] / ˈbɪgˌhɔrn /

noun

plural

bighorns,

plural

bighorn

1. a wild sheep, Ovis canadensis, of the Rocky Mountains, with large, curving horns.

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Bighorn ² American  

[big-hawrn] / ˈbɪgˌhɔrn /

noun

1. a river flowing from central Wyoming to the Yellowstone River in S Montana. 336 miles (540 km) long.

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bighorn British  

/ ˈbɪɡˌhɔːn /

noun

1. a large wild sheep, Ovis canadensis , inhabiting mountainous regions in North America and NE Asia: family Bovidae , order Artiodactyla . The male has massive curved horns, and the species is well adapted for climbing and leaping

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Etymology

Origin of bighorn

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; big ¹ + horn

Example Sentences

The land abutting the Pinto Mountains Wilderness is also home to badgers, bighorn sheep and Mojave fringe-toed lizards.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Officials have said it is too costly — and dangerous to bighorn sheep — to repair, although there have been recent discussions about its reopening.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025

In the craggy Sierra Nevada mountains, late last year, a male lion hunted down several bighorn.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

In a move that reverses nearly a decade of practice, California wildlife officials have quietly begun to allow killing mountain lions in order to protect another iconic native — bighorn sheep.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

That problem also derailed domestication of North American bighorn sheep, which belong to the same genus as Asiatic mouflon sheep, ancestor of our domestic sheep.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond