ibex

American  

[ahy-beks] / ˈaɪ bɛks /

noun

plural

ibexes, ibices,

plural

ibex

1. any of several wild goats of the genus Capra, inhabiting mountainous regions of Eurasia and North Africa, having long, recurved horns.

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ibex British  

/ ˈaɪbɛks /

noun

1. any of three wild goats, Capra ibex, C. caucasica, or C. pyrenaica, of mountainous regions of Europe, Asia, and North Africa, having large backward-curving horns

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Etymology

Origin of ibex

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1600–10

Explanation

An ibex is a wild mountain goat with long, curved horns. If you visit the European Alps or the northwestern Himalayas, you might be lucky enough to see an ibex. Ibex is a Latin word, probably borrowed from an older language such as Iberian or Aquitanian. Several species of goats fall into this category, including the Ethiopian, Spanish, and Siberian ibex varieties. All of these animals weigh more than 200 pounds, live up to 20 years, and are distinguished by the male ibex's backwards-curving horns. If you live in North America, you're most likely to encounter an ibex at the zoo or on an exotic species ranch.

Example Sentences

The engravings, which depict animals such as camels, ibex, equids, gazelles, and aurochs, include 130 highly detailed and life-sized figures, some reaching up to 3 meters long and more than 2 meters tall.

From Science Daily • Oct. 11, 2025

"We used to have 40 to 50 sheep, now we've only got four or five, and the reason is the threat from snow leopards and from ibex eating the grass," he says.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2025

We then watch Nubian ibex cavorting on vertical cliffs in the Arabian Peninsula, before finding ourselves perched behind the head of a golden eagle as it speed-skates along Alpine thermals.

From Washington Post • Jul. 3, 2019

A few Neanderthals cooked the ibex they had hunted and the mussels and nuts they had foraged and then, after dinner, made some tools around the fire.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2017

“I held it in my hands! I looked at the drawings, page by page. I remember each one: the lakes, the mountains, the ibex, that funny-looking mountain squirrel.”

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood