duiker

[ dahy-ker ]

/ ˈdaɪ kər /

noun, plural dui·kers, (especially collectively) dui·ker.

any of several small African antelopes of the Cephalophus, Sylvicapra, and related genera, the males and often the females having short, spikelike horns: some are endangered.

Nearby words

Origin of duiker

1770–80; < Afrikaans, Dutch duiker diver, equivalent to duiken to dive (see duck²) + -er -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for duiker

They put fat in the kraal a third time, and appointed the duiker (impunzi) to be the keeper of the gate.
South-African Folk-Tales|James A. Honey
They are all small, the dik-dik being scarcely larger than a rabbit, and they are divided into as many subspecies as the duiker.
In Africa|John T. McCutcheon
Upon reaching the road, it stopped, and looked at me, and I then saw that it was a duiker.
Sporting Scenes amongst the Kaffirs of South Africa|Alfred W. Drayson
When the duiker was asleep, the inkalimeva ate up all the fat.
South-African Folk-Tales|James A. Honey

By this means three duiker were soon killed, and we then lighted a fire, and enjoyed a feast of venison.
The White Chief of the Caffres|A.W. Drayson

British Dictionary definitions for duiker

duiker

duyker

/ (ˈdaɪˌkə) /

noun plural -kers or -ker

Also called: duikerbok (ˈdaɪkəbɒk) any small antelope of the genera Cephalophus and Sylvicapra, occurring throughout Africa south of the Sahara, having short straight backward-pointing horns, pointed hooves, and an arched back

Southern African any of several cormorants, esp the long-tailed shag (Phalacrocorax africanus)

Word Origin for duiker

C18: via Afrikaans from Dutch duiker diver, from duiken to dive; see duck ²

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