elephant
Americannoun
plural
elephants,plural
elephant-
a very large herbivorous mammal of the family Elephantidae, the only extant family of proboscideans and comprising the genera Loxodonta (African elephants ) and Elephas (Asian elephants ): Elephants of all species are characterized by a long, prehensile trunk formed of the nose and upper lip, pillarlike legs, and prominent tusks, which are possessed by both sexes of Loxodonta and just the males of Elephas.
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a representation of this animal, used in the United States since 1874 as the emblem of the Republican Party.
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Chiefly British. a size of drawing or writing paper, 23 × 28 inches (58 × 71 centimeters).
idioms
noun
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either of the two proboscidean mammals of the family Elephantidae . The African elephant ( Loxodonta africana ) is the larger species, with large flapping ears and a less humped back than the Indian elephant ( Elephas maximus ), of S and SE Asia
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a size of writing paper, 23 by 28 inches
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an obvious truth deliberately ignored by all parties in a situation
Other Word Forms
- elephantoid adjective
Etymology
Origin of elephant
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (from Anglo-French ), from Latin elephantus, from Greek elephant- (stem of eléphās ) “elephant”; replacing Middle English olifaunt, from Anglo-French, from unattested Vulgar Latin olifantus, for Latin elephantus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nor did he make any mention of the elephant in the room - or any room the Beckhams set foot in - the recent family drama involving his estranged older brother Brooklyn.
From BBC
Mr. Herzog, who with his intensely dramatic yet dryly matter-of-fact vocal stylings lends the feature his typically scintillating narration, follows him on a journey to Namibia and Angola in search of the ghost elephants.
He thought so much of that little old farm of ours, he wouldn’t have stopped working to watch a herd of elephants march down the road.
From Literature
"We are here to visit Bali Zoo... so we were trying to visit the elephants but due to this condition we couldn’t do this," 28-year-old Mexican national Briana Palacios told AFP.
From Barron's
At the same time, oxygen isotope analysis of fossil tooth enamel revealed that the pygmy elephants depended heavily on river water that became harder to find s conditions grew drier.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
