gnu
[ noo, nyoo ]
/ nu, nyu /
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noun, plural gnus, (especially collectively) gnu.
either of two stocky, oxlike antelopes of the genus Connochaetes, the silver-gray, white-bearded C. taurinus of the eastern African plain and the black, white-tailed C. gnou of central South Africa: recently near extinction, the South African gnu is now protected.
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Also called wildebeest.
Origin of gnu
1770–80; <Khoikhoi, first recorded as t’gnu; probably to be identified with ǂnû black, as applying originally to the black wildebeest
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gnu in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for gnu
gnu
/ (nuː) /
noun plural gnus or gnu
either of two sturdy antelopes, Connochaetes taurinus (brindled gnu) or the much rarer C. gnou (white-tailed gnu), inhabiting the savannas of Africa, having an oxlike head and a long tufted tailAlso called: wildebeest
Word Origin for gnu
C18: from Xhosa nqu
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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