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scimitar oryx

[ sim-i-ter awr-iks ]

noun

, plural scim·i·tar o·ryx·es, (especially collectively) scim·i·tar o·ryx.
  1. a large antelope, Oryx dammah, once widespread across North Africa, noted especially for its thin, backward-curving, symmetrical horns, which can reach a length of nearly 4 feet (1.2 meters) on both the males and females: hunted nearly to extinction for its horns, it is now believed to exist only in special reserves and was thus classified as extinct in the wild in 2000.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of scimitar oryx1

First recorded in 1900–05. The variant scimitar-horned oryx was first recorded in 1845–50

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scimitar footscincoid