eland

[ ee-luhnd ]

/ ˈi lənd /

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noun, plural e·lands, (especially collectively) e·land.

either of two large African antelopes of the genus Taurotragus, having long, spirally twisted horns: now rare.

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Origin of eland

First recorded in 1780–90; from Afrikaans, from Dutch eland “elk” (Middle Dutch elen, elant ), from early modern German Elen(d), probably from Lithuanian éllenis (now élnis; akin to Old Church Slavonic jelenĭ “stag”) or an Old Prussian equivalent; akin to elk

Words nearby eland

Elam, Elamite, Elamitic, élan, élancé, eland, élan vital, elapid, elapse, Elara, E.L.A.S.

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

How to use eland in a sentence

Some animals, like the rhino and the eland, have tick birds that sit upon their backs and eat the ticks.
In Africa|John T. McCutcheon
So on swept the chase, the eland leading, the quaggas after, and Hendrik bringing up the rear.
Popular Adventure Tales|Mayne Reid
After dining sumptuously on eland tongue and hartebeest tenderloin Burt pushed back his canvas chair with a sigh of content.
The Blind Lion of the Congo|Elliott Whitney
Suddenly an eland dashed out from a clump of bushes barely a hundred yards off, not having heard their approach.
The Rogue Elephant|Elliott Whitney

Jack fired, missed, fired again, and the eland gave one high spring and rolled heels over head.
The Rogue Elephant|Elliott Whitney

British Dictionary definitions for eland

eland

/ (ˈiːlənd) /

noun

a large spiral-horned antelope, Taurotragus oryx, inhabiting bushland in eastern and southern Africa. It has a dewlap and a hump on the shoulders and is light brown with vertical white stripes

giant eland a similar but larger animal, T. derbianus, living in wooded areas of central and W Africa

Word Origin for eland

C18: via Afrikaans from Dutch eland elk; related to Old Slavonic jeleni stag, Greek ellos fawn

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