okapi

American  

[oh-kah-pee] / oʊˈkɑ pi /

noun

plural

okapis,

plural

okapi

1. an African mammal, Okapia johnstoni, closely related to and resembling the giraffe, but smaller and with a much shorter neck.

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okapi British  

/ əʊˈkɑːpɪ /

noun

1. a ruminant mammal, Okapia johnstoni, of the forests of central Africa, having a reddish-brown coat with horizontal white stripes on the legs and small horns: family Giraffidae

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Etymology

Origin of okapi

1900; < Bambuba (Mvu’ba), a Central Sudanic language of the NE Democratic Republic of the Congo (or < a related Pygmy dial.), according to English Africanist Harry Johnston (1858–1927), author of the first zoological descriptions of the animal

Example Sentences

The okapi is the closest living relative of which African animal?

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2023

We are comparing the placentas of giraffe and okapi, looking for clues to the evolution of this trait.

From Scientific American • Feb. 19, 2023

She says only about 20 to 25 other U.S. zoos exhibit okapi.

From Washington Times • Jun. 4, 2017

Dr. Eckstrom, 51, who spends her days focused on the complex medical needs of older patients, is, like the Central African okapi, a species that is revered, rare and endangered.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2016

That one time and no other the okapi came to the stream, and I was the only one to see it.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver