onager

[ on-uh-jer ]

/ ˈɒn ə dʒər /

noun, plural on·a·gri [on-uh-grahy] /ˈɒn əˌgraɪ/, on·a·gers.

a wild ass, Equus hemionus, of southwestern Asia.

an ancient and medieval military catapult for throwing stones.

Nearby words

on-the-record, on-the-scene, on-the-spot, on-trend, ona, onager, onagraceous, onanism, onassis, onassis, aristotle socrates, onassis, jacqueline kennedy

Origin of onager

1300–50; Middle English < Late Latin: machine for throwing projectiles, Latin onager, onagrus wild ass < Greek ónagros (in both senses), alteration of ónos ágrios ass of the fields, wild ass (see acre)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for onager

The onager of Mesopotamia is a very beautiful animal, with its grey glossy coat, and its lively and rapid action.
History Of Egypt, Chalda, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Volume 3 (of 12)|G. Maspero
This is supposed to be of the same pattern which is called an "Onager" in the Latin books.
Stories of Invention|Edward E. Hale
We then loaded the onager with the acorns, and moved homeward.
The Swiss Family Robinson|Johann David Wyss
The skin that you have laid before me is the skin of an onager.
The Magic Skin|Honore de Balzac

Balista (Latin, onager), an engine for propelling stones, worked by means of strongly-twisted cords.
Annals of a Fortress|E. Viollet-le-Duc

British Dictionary definitions for onager

onager

/ (ˈɒnədʒə) /

noun plural -gri (-ˌɡraɪ) or -gers

a Persian variety of the wild ass, Equus hemionusCompare kiang

an ancient war engine for hurling stones

Word Origin for onager

C14: from Late Latin: military engine for stone throwing, from Latin: wild ass, from Greek onagros, from onos ass + agros field

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 onager

onager

Asiatic wild ass, mid-14c., from Latin onager, from Greek onagros, from onos "ass" (related to Latin asinus, but the ultimate source is unknown) + agrios "wild," literally "living in the fields," from agros "field" (see acre).