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Elephant   /ˈɛləfənt/   Listen
noun
Elephant  n.  
1.
(Zoöl.) A mammal of the order Proboscidia and family Elephantidae, of which two living species, Elephas maximus (formerly Elephas Indicus) and Loxodonta Africana (formerly E. Africanus), and several fossil species, are known. They have five toes, a long proboscis or trunk, and two large ivory tusks proceeding from the extremity of the upper jaw, and curving upwards. The molar teeth are large and have transverse folds. Elephants are the largest land animals now existing. The elephant is classed as a pachyderm.
2.
Ivory; the tusk of the elephant. (Obs.)
Elephant apple (Bot.), an East Indian fruit with a rough, hard rind, and edible pulp, borne by Feronia elephantum, a large tree related to the orange.
Elephant bed (Geol.), at Brighton, England, abounding in fossil remains of elephants.
Elephant beetle (Zoöl.), any very large beetle of the genus Goliathus (esp. G. giganteus), of the family Scarabaeidae. They inhabit West Africa.
Elephant fish (Zoöl.), a chimaeroid fish (Callorhynchus antarcticus), with a proboscis-like projection of the snout.
Elephant paper, paper of large size, 23 times 28 inches.
Double elephant paper, paper measuring 26¾ times 40 inches. See Note under Paper.
Elephant seal (Zoöl.), an African jumping shrew (Macroscelides typicus), having a long nose like a proboscis.
Elephant's ear (Bot.), a name given to certain species of the genus Begonia, which have immense one-sided leaves.
Elephant's foot (Bot.)
(a)
A South African plant (Testudinaria Elephantipes), which has a massive rootstock covered with a kind of bark cracked with deep fissures; called also tortoise plant. The interior part is barely edible, whence the plant is also called Hottentot's bread.
(b)
A genus (Elephantopus) of coarse, composite weeds.
Elephant's tusk (Zoöl.), the tooth shell. See Dentalium.






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Elephant" Quotes from Famous Books



... their horses had ever seen an elephant, and they were so taken aback by the strange sight that, long before the beasts came to close quarters, the mere sound of their trumpeting, the sight of their gleaming tusks relieved against dark bodies, ...
— Works, V2 • Lucian of Samosata

... there is one thing I cannot believe, that Your Excellency can transform yourself into an elephant and a tiger. ...
— The German Classics of The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Vol. IV • Editor-in-Chief: Kuno Francke

... added Reddy, "they say he's as big and strong as a bull elephant, and it's aching he'll be to stack ...
— Bert Wilson on the Gridiron • J. W. Duffield

... of you ever see an elephant's skin?" asked the master of an infant school. "I have," shouted a six-year-old at the foot of the class. ...
— Children's Rhymes, Children's Games, Children's Songs, Children's Stories - A Book for Bairns and Big Folk • Robert Ford

... guided by mahouts in red and yellow uniforms, and attended by servants in liveries of the same colour, to the bazaars. Contents most interesting, especially the carved woodwork, copper-work, and Persian armour. Went to Golden Mosque and Fort, the palace, elephant-pool, and Runjeet Singh's tomb. Wonderful sight. Great fun bargaining. Shops each more curious than the others. Returned to station and resumed ...
— The Last Voyage - to India and Australia, in the 'Sunbeam' • Lady (Annie Allnutt) Brassey


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