scimitar oryx

American  

[sim-i-ter awr-iks] / ˈsɪm ɪ tər ˈɔr ɪks /

noun

PLURAL

scimitar oryxes,

PLURAL

scimitar oryx

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of scimitar oryx

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

Example Sentences

Since April, he has removed small samples of fat from five of the zoo’s animals - a crested mangabey, a scimitar oryx, an otter, a red-handed tamarin and a bobcat named B.B. - to extract stem cells.

From Washington Times