takin

American  

[tah-kin, -keen] / ˈtɑ kɪn, -kin /

noun

1. a mountain-dwelling bovid, Budorcas taxicolor, native to the eastern Himalayas, China, and northern Myanmar (Burma), that resembles a cross between a goat and a musk ox.

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takin British  

/ ˈtɑːkiːn /

noun

1. a massive bovid mammal, Budorcas taxicolor, of mountainous regions of S Asia, having a shaggy coat, short legs, and horns that point backwards and upwards

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Etymology

Origin of takin

First recorded in 1840–50; alleged to be from Mishmi (Tibeto-Burman language of a tribal people of Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India)

Example Sentences

"Sorry the mixtape is takin soo long," he wrote on X in November 2024.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

Bevacqua, a 1993 Notre Dame alumnus, will join the university July 1 as a special assistant to the president for athletics before takin over the athletic department sometime in the first quarter of 2024.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 8, 2023

"You look good, boy, you takin care of yourself?"

From Salon • Sep. 16, 2022

Protecting panda habitats benefited other species as well, Pimm says, including the takin, a goatlike animal considered vulnerable, and endangered snub-nosed monkeys.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 7, 2021

People got rich off my mother without us even knowin about them takin her cells, now we don’t get a dime.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot