springbok

[ spring-bok ]

/ ˈsprɪŋˌbɒk /

noun, plural spring·boks, (especially collectively) spring·bok.

a gazelle, Antidorcas marsupialis, of southern Africa, noted for its habit of springing into the air when alarmed.

Nearby words

spring-clean, spring-cleaning, spring-loaded, springald, springboard, springbok, springbuck, springdale, springe, springer, springer spaniel

Origin of springbok

1765–75; < Afrikaans. See spring, buck¹

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

Examples from the Web for springbok

It is nearly thirty feet wide, but that is nothing to a springbok.
Allan's Wife|H. Rider Haggard
The Springbok is separated from the rest of the Gazelles, to which genus it is clearly most nearly related, as a genus Antidorcas.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
As she glanced outward, she saw the springbok advancing down this slope.
The Bush Boys|Captain Mayne Reid
Springbok, why, there must be thousands and thousands of them.
The Mission; or Scenes in Africa|Captain Frederick Marryat

The general color of the springbok is a tawny brown on the upper parts of the body.
The World and Its People: Book VII|Anna B. Badlam

British Dictionary definitions for springbok (1 of 2)

springbok

less commonly springbuck

/ (ˈsprɪŋˌbʌk) /

noun plural -bok, -boks, -buck or -bucks

an antelope, Antidorcas marsupialis, of semidesert regions of southern Africa, which moves in leaps exposing a patch of white erectile hairs on the rump that are usually covered by a fold of skin

Word Origin for springbok

C18: from Afrikaans, from Dutch springen to spring + bok goat, buck 1

British Dictionary definitions for springbok (2 of 2)

Springbok

/ (ˈsprɪŋˌbʌk, -ˌbɒk) /

noun

a person who has represented South Africa at rugby union

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 springbok

springbok

1775, from Afrikaans, from spring "to leap" (from Middle Dutch springhen, see spring (v.)) + bok "antelope," from Middle Dutch boc (see buck (n.)).