dik-dik

American  

[dik-dik] / ˈdɪkˌdɪk /

noun

1. any antelope of the genus Madoqua or Rhynchotragus, of eastern and southwestern Africa, growing only to 14 inches (36 centimeters) high at the shoulder.

---

dik-dik British  

/ ˈdɪkˌdɪk /

noun

1. any small antelope of the genus Madoqua, inhabiting semiarid regions of Africa, having an elongated muzzle and, in the male, small stout horns

---

Etymology

Origin of dik-dik

First recorded in 1880–85; probably from an East African language; imitative of the animal's cry

Example Sentences

The commander, who had offered safe passage and a rare interview, released the dik-dik, which scuttled off into the bush.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 16, 2019

In a clearing in rural Somalia, a jihadi commander sat in a white plastic chair, stroking a dik-dik, an antelope the size of a cat.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 16, 2019

The water-buck came here in herds from the elephant country away south, beyond the hour-glass-like constriction which divided the great forest, and the tiny dik-dik, smallest of all antelopes, came also to take its sip.

From The Pools of Silence by Stacpoole, H. De Vere (Henry De Vere)

They are all small, the dik-dik being scarcely larger than a rabbit, and they are divided into as many subspecies as the duiker.

From In Africa Hunting Adventures in the Big Game Country by McCutcheon, John T.

For instance, there's the oribi and the dik-dik, to say nothing of the steinbuck and the klipspringer.

From In Africa Hunting Adventures in the Big Game Country by McCutcheon, John T.