AFRICAN ELEPHANT Definition & Meaning

African elephant

[ af-ri-kuhn el-uh-fuhnt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an elephant of the genus Loxodonta, with two extant species, the larger African bush elephant and the African forest elephant, both found in sub-Saharan Africa and previously considered subspecies rather than genetically distinct: Compared to an Asian elephant, an African elephant is larger and has enormous ears, a rounder head, a trunk ending in two fingers rather than one, and conspicuous tusks occurring in both sexes.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of African elephant¹

First recorded in 1600–20

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How does African elephant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

While she said the five elderly African elephants were "majestic," the court ruled the claim could not be brought "because an elephant is not a person".

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Charley, an aging African elephant, had outlived other elephants at a South Africa zoo.

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African elephants face threats from poachers, with thousands of them illegally killed each year for their tusks.

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There is hope that once Osh, a male, arrives at the sanctuary, the 30-year-old pachyderm will reunite with Donna, the zoo’s last remaining female African elephant that was relocated there last year.

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For African elephants, part of that answer lies in the two finger-like tips they have at the end of their trunks, which allow them to grab things.

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