scimitar oryx

[sim-i-ter awr-iks]

noun

plural

scimitar oryxes ,

plural

scimitar oryx .

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

Example Sentences

The haul included some extinct animals, such as the scimitar oryx, and endangered species like lions, cheetahs and the Bengal tiger.

Read more on BBC

They included the scimitar oryx, also known as the Sahara oryx, which the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, declared extinct in the wild in 2000, and at least two more species nearly extinct: the addax, or white antelope, originally from the Sahara desert and the Bengal tiger.

Read more on Seattle Times

Since April, he has removed small samples of fat from five of the zoo’s animals - a crested mangabey, a scimitar oryx, an otter, a red-handed tamarin and a bobcat named B.B. - to extract stem cells.

Read more on Washington Times