elephant

Anglice

An elephant.
(Elephantus.)

Appellatio pronuntiatusque

elephant

API: /ˈɛləfənt/

(Americane)

API: /ˈeləfənt/

(Australiane)

Formae aliae

• saec. XVI. elyphant
• saec. XVI. –saec. XXI. elephant

Notatio

= Anglica Media: elefaunt

← Francogallica Antiqua: olifant

= Latine: *olifantus ← Anglice: elephantus

← Graeca Antiqua: ἐλέφας (elephās)

Nomen substantivum

elephant (plur. elephants)

1. √ elephantus (-ī, masc.) || Animal familiae Elephantidae.

Dictiones derivatae

• elephant seal, sea elephant
• see the elephant
• white elephant

Loci

saec. XVI.

• 1591, The Trauailes of an Englishman, Job Hortop:

In this land bee Elyphants, which the Negros kill in this manner: they seke out their hants where they rest in the night, which is against a tree, that they saw three partes in sunder, so that when the Elephant leaneth and stretch himselfe against it, the tree falleth, & he with it, then he roareth, wherby the Negros know he is fallen, then they come vpon him and kill him.

saec. XVII.

• 1606, Troilus and Cressida, Shaksperus

Vilis. The Elephant hath ioynts, but none for courtesie,

His legs are legs for necessity, not for flexure.

• 1667, Paradise Lost, John Milton:

Bears, Tygers, Ounces, Pards

Gambold before them, th’ unwieldy Elephant

To make them mirth us’d all his might, & wreathd

His Lithe Proboscis;

Vide etiam

• oliphaunt