oryx

[ awr-iks, ohr- ]

/ ˈɔr ɪks, ˈoʊr- /

noun, plural o·ryx·es, (especially collectively) o·ryx.

a large African antelope, Oryx gazella, grayish with black markings and having long, nearly straight horns: an endangered species.

gemsbok.

Words nearby oryx

orville, orwell, orwell, george, orwellian, oryol, oryx, orzo, os, os coccygis, os coxae, os intermetatarseum

Origin of oryx

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek óryx pickax, oryx

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

Examples from the Web for oryx

If it is a young man, they should start with Oryx and Crake.
How I Write: Margaret Atwood|Noah Charney|October 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Strepsiceros capensis (Agazin), and Oryx capensis (Sala), are hunted on the borders of the desert.
The Highlands of Ethiopia|William Cornwallis Harris
Of course the oryx were also brought up to the camp to be skinned and cut up.
The Young Yagers|Mayne Reid
Only before us we could see the stripes of trotting zebra disappearing; and catch the glint of light on the bayonets of the oryx.
The Land of Footprints|Stewart Edward White

Harris has given much better arguments in favour of the unicorn being merely a species of oryx.
Mythical Monsters|Charles Gould
To his vast delight, von Hofe's oryx bounded high and fell dead; it was found that both bullets had gone through the heart.
The Rogue Elephant|Elliott Whitney

British Dictionary definitions for oryx

oryx

/ (ˈɒrɪks) /

noun plural -yxes or -yx

any large African antelope of the genus Oryx, typically having long straight nearly upright horns

Word Origin for oryx

C14: via Latin from Greek orux stonemason's axe, used also of the pointed horns of an antelope

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