Cape buffalo

noun

a large black buffalo, Syncerus caffer, of southern Africa, having horns that meet at the base forming a helmetlike structure over the forehead.

Origin of Cape buffalo

First recorded in 1885–90

Also called African buffalo .

Words Nearby Cape buffalo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Cape buffalo in a sentence

The horns resemble those of the Cape buffalo, being broad at the base and covering nearly the entire forehead.
North America | Israel C. Russell
The Cape buffalo is regarded by naturalists as quite a distinct species from other buffaloes.
The World and Its People: Book VII | Anna B. Badlam
The skin of the Cape buffalo is made into shields and targets, and is so hard that a musket ball will scarcely penetrate it.
Delineations of the Ox Tribe | George Vasey
Mr. Pringle gives the following description of a Cape buffalo hunt.
Natural History in Anecdote | Various
That the Cape buffalo is nine feet from nose to root of tail.
Delineations of the Ox Tribe | George Vasey

British Dictionary definitions for Cape buffalo

Cape buffalo

noun

another name for buffalo (def. 1)

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

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