scimitar oryx

[ sim-i-ter awr-iks ]

noun

, plural scim·i·tar o·ryx·es, (especially collectively) scim·i·tar o·ryx.

1. a large antelope, Oryx dammah, once widespread across North Africa, noted especially for its thin, backward-curving, symmetrical horns, which can reach a length of nearly 4 feet (1.2 meters) on both the males and females: hunted nearly to extinction for its horns, it is now believed to exist only in special reserves and was thus classified as extinct in the wild in 2000.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scimitar oryx¹

First recorded in 1900–05. The variant scimitar-horned oryx was first recorded in 1845–50