aurochs

[ awr-oks ]

noun,plural au·rochs.
  1. a large, black European wild ox, Bos primigenius: extinct since 1627.

  2. (not used scientifically) the European bison.

Origin of aurochs

1
1760–70; <German, variant (now obsolete) of Auerochs,Middle High German ūrochse,Old High German ūrohso, equivalent to ūr (cognate with Old English ūr bison) + ohsoox

Words Nearby aurochs

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How to use aurochs in a sentence

  • What this creature was is not clear; possibly it was the aurochs or buffalo—Bordes vengeable beast, the Bovy of Bohemia.

    Medival Byways | Louis F. Salzmann

British Dictionary definitions for aurochs

aurochs

/ (ˈɔːrɒks) /


nounplural -rochs
  1. a recently extinct member of the cattle tribe, Bos primigenius, that inhabited forests in N Africa, Europe, and SW Asia. It had long horns and is thought to be one of the ancestors of modern cattle: Also called: urus

Origin of aurochs

1
C18: from German, from Old High German ūrohso, from ūro bison + ohso ox

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012