elephant
Listen:Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
elephant/ˈelɪfənt/
▶noun (pl. same or elephants) a very large plant-eating mammal with a prehensile trunk, long curved ivory tusks, and large ears. [Loxodonta africana (African elephant, Africa) and Elephas maximus (Indian elephant, southern Asia).]
– phrases
the elephant in the room a major problem or controversial issue which is obviously present but avoided as a subject for discussion because it is more comfortable to do so.
the elephant in the room a major problem or controversial issue which is obviously present but avoided as a subject for discussion because it is more comfortable to do so.
– derivatives
elephantoid /ˌɛlɪˈfantɔɪd/ adjective.
elephantoid /ˌɛlɪˈfantɔɪd/ adjective.
– origin ME: from OFr. elefant, via L. from Gk elephas, elephant- ‘ivory, elephant’.
'elephant' also found in these Oxford entries:
bull
- chryselephantine
- cow
- elephant bird
- elephant grass
- elephantiasis
- elephantine
- elephant seal
- elephant shrew
- heffalump
- howdah
- ivory
- mahout
- mammoth
- mastodon
- must
- pachyderm
- proboscis
- rogue
- sea elephant
- trumpet
- trunk
- tusk
- tusker
- white elephant
