gnu [noo, nyoo] ExamplesWord Origin noun, plural gnus, (especially collectively) gnu.
- either of two stocky, oxlike antelopes of the genus Connochaetes, the silver-gray, white-bearded C. taurinus of the eastern African plain and the black, white-tailed C. gnou of central South Africa: recently near extinction, the South African gnu is now protected.
Origin of gnu 1770–80; Khoikhoi, first recorded as t’gnu; probably to be identified with ǂnû black, as applying orig. to the black wildebeestAlso called wildebeest. Can be confusedgnu knew new Examples from the Web for gnu Historical Examples of gnu
Gnu is from the Hottentots, and giraffe from the Arabic zaraf.
William Beebe
The lads rushed forward, eager to obtain some of the flesh of the gnu.
W.H.G. Kingston
So that altogether the gnu cannot be considered as a handsome animal!
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History
Theodore Wood
Suddenly he touches one with the gnu’s tail which he carries in his hand.
Musical Myths and Facts, Volume II (of 2)
Carl Engel
By the by, did you know that Mrs. Gnu had actually bought the blue velvet?
George William Curtis
British Dictionary definitions for gnu gnu noun plural gnus or gnu
- either of two sturdy antelopes, Connochaetes taurinus (brindled gnu) or the much rarer C. gnou (white-tailed gnu), inhabiting the savannas of Africa, having an oxlike head and a long tufted tailAlso called: wildebeest
Word Origin for gnu C18: from Xhosa nqu Word Origin and History for gnu n.
1777, gnoo, from Dutch gnoe, used by German traveler Georg Forster (1754-1794) to render Hottentot i-ngu “wildebeest,” from Southern Bushman !nu: (in which ! and : represent clicks).