gnu

[noo, nyoo]

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

Historical Examples of gnus

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
Into this gap the Germans placed a number of gnus—six or eight.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, November 4, 1914
Various
Gnus and zebras contemplate the strange intruder with an air of surprise.
The Desert World
Arthur Mangin
The Gnus, Connochaetes, are familiar owing to their curious aspect.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
It was evident that they had been following the gnus, who had only at that instant begun to suspect their presence.
In the Wilds of Africa
W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for gnus

gnu

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).