topi

¹ American

[toh-pee, toh-pee] / toʊˈpi, ˈtoʊ pi /

noun

topee.

topi ² American

[toh-pee] / ˈtoʊ pi /

noun

an antelope, Damaliscus lunatus, of east-central Africa, having bluish-black and yellow markings.

topi ¹ British

/ ˈtəʊpɪ /

noun

an antelope, Damaliscus korrigum, of grasslands and semideserts of Africa, having angular curved horns and an elongated muzzle

"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

topi ² British

/ ˈtəʊpiː, -pɪ /

noun

another name for pith helmet

"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

Etymology

Origin of topi

1905–10; said to be < Swahili

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Take the simple topi hat, a khadi cloth envelope style popular during India’s fight for self-rule.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2021

Many of the protesters following the man in the white Gandhian cap known as a topi were young and middle class, fashionably dressed and carrying the newest smartphones.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2011

Male topi antelopes will resort to deception to keep a potential mate around, snorting as if there’s a lion nearby just when it seems she might wander off.

From US News • May 21, 2010

If they have enough of a head start, topi antelopes can outrun lions and even cheetahs.

From US News • May 21, 2010

I was off to East Africa where I would walk about in khaki shorts every day and wear a topi on my head!

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023