elephant

noun

A large mammal of the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and native to Africa and Asia.

(in particular) Any member of the subfamily Elephantinae not also of the genera Mammuthus and Primelephas.

(figurative) Anything huge and ponderous.

(paper, printing) Synonym of elephant paper.

(xiangqi) A xiangqi piece that is moved two points diagonally, may not jump over intervening pieces and may not cross the river.

(British, childish) used when counting to add length, so that each count takes about one second

The 105th sura (chapter) of the Quran.

(uncountable, obsolete) Ivory.

Roots

elephaselephant- · Greek · elephant, ivory

Synonyms for elephant

pachydermn rhinocerosn camelopardn rhinon hippon giraffen hippopotamusn lionn zebran leopardn okapin tigern

Synonyms & related words for elephant

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of elephant — including pachyderm, rhinoceros, camelopard, rhino, hippo, giraffe. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to elephant

Explore words related to elephant — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include proboscidean, tusks, keddah, tusker, mahout, chryselephantine, howdah, elephantine. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for elephant

Common synonyms for elephant include pachyderm, rhinoceros, camelopard, rhino, hippo, giraffe, hippopotamus, lion — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does elephant come from?

The word elephant breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root elephant, from Greek elephas (“elephant, ivory”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.