markhor

American  

[mahr-kawr] / ˈmɑr kɔr /

noun

plural

markhors,

plural

markhor

1. a wild goat, Capra falconeri, of mountainous regions from Afghanistan to India, having compressed, spiral horns and long, shaggy hair: all populations are threatened or endangered.

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markhor British  

/ ˈmɑːkɔː, ˈmɑːkʊə /

noun

1. a large wild Himalayan goat, Capra falconeri, with a reddish-brown coat and large spiralled horns

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Etymology

Origin of markhor

1865–70; < Persian mārkhōr literally, serpent-eater, equivalent to mār snake + -khōr eating; cf. manticore

Example Sentences

On a hill, the skull of a markhor goat was nailed over a graveyard’s gate.

From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2022

It's also a habitat for black bears and wolves, as well as urials, a type of sheep, and the Sulaiman markhor, a large species of wild goat.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2018

But critics say protecting a small population may not do much to help the markhor as a whole.

From Scientific American • May 16, 2012

Not everyone agrees that that Kashmir’s markhor is its own subspecies.

From Scientific American • May 16, 2012

By their locations, these seem to provide for all the species of big game that are found in Kashmir,—the ibex, two forms of markhor, the tahr.

From Our Vanishing Wild Life Its Extermination and Preservation by Hornaday, William Temple