gnu

[ noo, nyoo ]

/ nu, nyu /

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.

Origin of gnu

1770–80; < Khoikhoi, first recorded as t’gnu; probably to be identified with ǂnû black, as applying orig. to the black wildebeest

Also called wildebeest.

Can be confusedgnu knew new

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

Examples from the Web for gnus

Reuben followed suit, and the destruction wrought by the gnus was at once manifest.
Under Drake's Flag|G. A. Henty
Nay, further, there are one or two species—the Gnus of South Africa—that bear a considerable resemblance to horses!
Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found|Mayne Reid
I only hoped that the gnus had led them a long chase, and that they were far away from me.
In the Wilds of Africa|W.H.G. Kingston
The quaggas and gnus, however, soon after separated, going off in different directions.
Hendricks the Hunter|W.H.G. Kingston

The Gnus, Connochaetes, are familiar owing to their curious aspect.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard

British Dictionary definitions for gnus

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gnus

gnu

1777, gnoo, from Dutch gnoe, used by German traveler Georg Forster (1754-1794) to render Hottentot i-ngu "wildebeest," from Southern Bushman !nu: (in which ! and : represent clicks).

gnu