kudu

American

[koo-doo] / ˈku du /

Or koodoo

noun

a large African antelope, Tragelaphus strepsiceros, the male of which has large corkscrewlike horns.

kudu British

/ ˈkuːduː /

noun

either of two spiral-horned antelopes, Tragelaphus strepsiceros ( greater kudu ) or T. imberbis ( lesser kudu ), which inhabit the bush of Africa

"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

Etymology

Origin of kudu

1770–80; < Afrikaans koedoe < Khoikhoi ǂkudu

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The African habitat - which was built in 2001 - is home to reticulated giraffes, maneless zebras, white rhinos, ostriches, crowned cranes and a greater kudu - a type of antelope.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2025

For instance, rock art in Zimbabwe mainly depicts kudu antelopes, she says, whereas similar San sites in nearby South Africa focus on another antelope, the eland.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 27, 2024

This was true for 95 percent of the animal species observed, including giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, kudu, warthogs, impalas and rhinos.

From Scientific American • Oct. 18, 2023

Fully 95% of species, including giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, kudu, warthog, impala, elephants, and rhinoceroses, ran more often or abandoned waterholes faster in response to humans than in response to lions.

From Science Daily • Oct. 5, 2023

A kudu didn’t lie so quietly on its side unless it was dead.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023