elephant

Meaning

1. (countable, uncountable) A large mammal of the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and native to Africa and Asia.
2. (countable, uncountable) Any member of the subfamily Elephantinae not also of the genera Mammuthus and Primelephas.
3. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) Anything huge and ponderous.
4. (countable, uncountable) Synonym of elephant paper.
5. (British, childish, countable, uncountable) used when counting to add length, so that each count takes about one second
6. (obsolete, uncountable) Ivory.
7. (countable, uncountable) A xiangqi piece that is moved two points diagonally, may not jump over intervening pieces and may not cross the river.

Synonyms

bishop

butterfly

🦋

elephantine

hippopotamus

🦛

ivory

oliphaunt

pachyderm

elephanta

elephanter

scintillation jamming

Translations

éléphant

🐘

elefante

🐘

Elefant

🐘

elefante

🐘

olifant

🐘

elefante

🐘

elefant

🐘

elephantus

🐘

ελέφαντας

fil

🐘

فيل

🐘

elephas

🐘

elefant

elefanta

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɛlɪf(ə)nt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: elefant

Cognate with Tahaggart Tamahaq: êlu

Cognate with Tamasheq: alu

Cognate with Middle English: olifant

Cognate with Old English: elpend

In summary

From Middle English elefant, elefaunt, from Old French elefant, elefan, olifant, re-latinized in Middle French as elephant, from Latin elephantus, from Ancient Greek ἐλέφᾱς (eléphās) (gen. ἐλέφαντος (eléphantos)). Believed to be derived from an Afroasiatic form such as Proto-Berber *eḷu (“elephant”) (compare Tamahaq êlu, Tamasheq alu) or Egyptian ꜣbw (“elephant; ivory”). More at ivory. Replaced Middle English olifant (from the aforementioned Old French form, from Vulgar Latin *olifantus), which replaced Old English elpend (“elephant”).