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wildebeest

[ wil-duh-beest, vil- ]
/ ˈwɪl dəˌbist, ˈvɪl- /
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noun, plural wil·de·beests, (especially collectively) wil·de·beest.

gnu.

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Nearby words

  1. wildcat strike,
  2. wildcatter,
  3. wilde,
  4. wilde, oscar,
  5. wildean,
  6. wilder,
  7. wilder, billy,
  8. wilder, laura ingalls,
  9. wilder, thornton,
  10. wilder, thornton niven

Origin of wildebeest

1830–40; < Afrikaans wildebees < Dutch wildebeest, equivalent to wild wild + beest beast
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wildebeest

British Dictionary definitions for wildebeest

wildebeest

/ (ˈwɪldɪˌbiːst, ˈvɪl-) /

noun plural -beests or -beest

another name for gnu

Word Origin for wildebeest

C19: from Afrikaans, literally: wild beast
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 wildebeest

wildebeest

n.

1838, from S. African Dutch (in modern Afrikaans wildebees, plural wildebeeste), literally "wild beast," from Dutch wild "wild" (see wild (adj.)) + beest "beast, ox" (in S.African Dutch "steer, cattle"), from Middle Dutch beeste, from Old French beste "beast" (see beast).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper