mouflon

noun

mou·​flon mü-ˈflōⁿ How to pronounce mouflon (audio)
variants or less commonly moufflon
: either of two wild sheep (Ovis gmelini and O. aries musimon) of the mountains of Sardinia, Corsica and western Asia that have large curling horns in the males and are sometimes included in a single species

Illustration of mouflon

Illustration of mouflon

Examples of mouflon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Barbary sheep, mouflon sheep, blackbuck, red stag, sika and axis deer and mountain goats are among the exotic game that roam the ranch. Melissa Manno, San Antonio Express-News, 17 Dec. 2023 The impact of these nonnative animals hurt native species: During droughts, mouflon sheep damage mamane tree saplings, which means less shelter and protection for native birds. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 31 July 2023 Between August 2021 and February 2022, 485 axis deer and 232 mouflons were hunted, according to the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 31 July 2023 From the vantage turkeys, francolin fowl, chukar partridge, mouflon sheep, Spanish goats and wild boars could be seen. Steve Meyer, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Dec. 2021 Animals that regularly wander around the 925 hectares of the nature reserve include red deer, fallow deer, European bison, wild boar, and mouflon. Jessica Poitevien, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2020 Relics of centuries-old monasteries dot the province’s foothills and spring up from gorges, while mouflon—a type of wild sheep—and bezoar goat roam the cliffsides among wild pear and plum trees. Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian, 27 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mouflon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French mouflon, from Italian dialect muvrone, from Late Latin mufron-, mufro

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mouflon was in 1774

Dictionary Entries Near mouflon

Cite this Entry

“Mouflon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mouflon. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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