wapiti

[ wop-i-tee ]

noun

, plural wap·i·tis, (especially collectively) wap·i·ti.

1. elk ( def 2 ).

wapiti

/ ˈwɒpɪtɪ /

noun

1. a large deer, Cervus canadensis, with large much-branched antlers, native to North America and now also common in the South Island of New Zealand Also calledAmerican elk

Word History and Origins

Origin of wapiti¹

An Americanism dating back to 1805–10; from Shawnee wa·piti literally, “white rump” (equivalent to unattested Proto-Algonquian wa·p- “white” + unattested -etwiy- “rump”); introduced as an English word by U.S. physician and naturalist Benjamin S. Barton ( 1766–1815 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of wapiti¹

C19: from Shawnee, literally: white deer, from wap (unattested) white; from the animal's white tail and rump

Example Sentences

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife officer has been Bruiser’s de facto guardian angel since shortly after the wild wapiti’s first sighting on the island, back on Sept. 13, 2012.

From Seattle Times

The EVA team found some of the ancient DNA came from wapiti, the species of elk whose tooth was used to make it.

From Science Magazine

But where wapiti are being fed on the National Elk Refuge, Cole pointed out, densities of animals are an order of magnitude - tenfold - greater than they are at the Colorado national park.

From Washington Times

Some 33 cow wapiti fitted with GPS collars in the Gros Ventre last fall, before migration, are now being tracked.

From Washington Times

Monitoring elk traveling along the migration route is part of a new Wyoming effort to determine if wapiti are returning to the Gros Ventre River country in summer and fall.

From Seattle Times