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