gnu

American  

[noo, nyoo] / nu, nyu /

noun

plural

gnus,

plural

gnu

1. either of two stocky, oxlike antelopes of the genus Connochaetes, the silver-gray, white-bearded C. taurinus of the eastern African plain and the black, white-tailed C. gnou of central South Africa: recently near extinction, the South African gnu is now protected.

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gnu British  

/ nuː /

noun

1. Also called: wildebeest.  either of two sturdy antelopes, Connochaetes taurinus ( brindled gnu ) or the much rarer C. gnou ( white-tailed gnu ), inhabiting the savannas of Africa, having an oxlike head and a long tufted tail

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Etymology

Origin of gnu

1770–80; < Khoikhoi, first recorded as t’gnu; probably to be identified with ǂnû black, as applying originally to the black wildebeest

Explanation

Have you heard the gnus? A gnu (the "g" is silent) is a large animal with hooves that's found in the southernmost part of Africa. You can see gnus in zoos. A gnu is the same thing as a wildebeest — gnu comes from the Dutch gnoe, which has roots in the Khoisan i-ngu and the Southern Bushman !nu: (with the ! and : representing clicks). Gnus are related to antelopes, sharing their long legs, curved horns, and hooves. The official term for a group of gnus is a herd, although many writers prefer the unofficial term "an implausibility of gnus."

Example Sentences

“I sold a gnu to an 80-year-old couple in Boston,” he said.

From New York Times • Mar. 5, 2015

Beside the lake stands a lodge decorated with overstuffed couches, a billiard table and trophies — the heads of elk, impala, gnu and Cape buffalo — from his many expeditions.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2014

At other times the kitten lies in wait on the vast savannah that is our garden, before spotting her mother and flying at her as if she was a wounded gnu.

From The Guardian • Jul. 12, 2013

More sophisticated listeners preferred the grotesque beauty of the West African red river hog's grunt, the resonant, whuffing snort of the white-tailed gnu, the whistling whinny of the panda.

From Time Magazine Archive

The ten-minute-old gnu is a favourite dish, but hyenas also eat young lions and young rhinoceros.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel