oryx

noun

ˈȯr-iks 

ˈär-

plural oryx or oryxes

: any of a small genus (Oryx) of large heavily built African and Arabian antelopes that have a light-colored coat with dark conspicuous markings especially on the face compare gemsbok

Illustration of oryx

Examples of oryx in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By extracting and studying DNA from the hairs, scientists determined the two lions feasted on giraffe, waterbuck, zebra, oryx, wildebeest—and, yes, several humans. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Oct. 2024

Operation Oryx was a 1962 international expedition to capture, breed and then reintroduce some of Arabia's few remaining wild oryx that had been threatened by trophy hunting, habitat destruction and the expansion of the oil industry. —Joan Meiners, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024

In a country of elephants, oryxes, and giraffes, which loom so large in tourists’ minds, Siggy is in love with the smallest of beings. —Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 June 2024

The oryx went extinct in the wild during the 1990s. —Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 30 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, a gazelle, from Greek, pickax, antelope, kind of whale, from oryssein to dig; akin to Latin runcare to grub up, weed, Sanskrit luñcati he plucks

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

oryx

noun

ˈōr-iks 

ˈȯr-,

ˈär-

plural oryx or oryxes

: any of several African antelopes having long horns that are straight or that curve backward