from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Elephant \El"e*phant\ ([e^]l"[-e]*fant), n. [OE. elefaunt,
olifant, OF. olifant, F. ['e]l['e]phant, L. elephantus,
elephas, -antis, fr. Gr. 'ele`fas, 'ele`fantos; of unknown
origin; perh. fr. Skr. ibha, with the Semitic article al, el,
prefixed, or fr. Semitic Aleph hindi Indian bull; or cf.
Goth. ulbandus camel, AS. olfend.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) 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.
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2. Ivory; the tusk of the elephant. [Obs.] --Dryden.
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{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. --Mantell.
{Elephant beetle} (Zo["o]l.), any very large beetle of the
genus {Goliathus} (esp. {G. giganteus}), of the family
{Scarab[ae]id[ae]}. They inhabit West Africa.
{Elephant fish} (Zo["o]l.), a chim[ae]roid 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 263/4 [times] 40
inches. See Note under {Paper}.
{Elephant seal} (Zo["o]l.), 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} (Zo["o]l.), the tooth shell. See
{Dentalium}.
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