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aurochs

 - 5 dictionary results

au⋅rochs

  [awr-oks]
Use aurochs in a Sentence
–noun, plural -rochs.
1. a large, black European wild ox, Bos primigenius: extinct since 1627.
2. (not used scientifically) the European bison.
Origin:
1760–70; < G, var. (now obs.) of Auerochs, MHG ūrochse, OHG ūrohso, equiv. to ūr (c. OE ūr bison) + ohso ox
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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au·rochs   (ou'rŏks', ôr'ŏks')   
n.   pl. aurochs

  1. See urus.

  2. See wisent.


[Obsolete German, variant of German Auerochs, from Middle High German ūrohse, from Old High German ūrohso : ūro, aurochs + ohso, ox; see uks-en- in Indo-European roots.]
u·rus   (yŏŏr'əs)   
n.   pl. u·rus·es
An extinct wild ox (Bos primigenius) of Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, believed to be the ancestor of domestic cattle. Also called aurochs.

[Latin ūrus, of Germanic origin.]
wi·sent   (vē'zənt)   
n.  The European bison (Bison bonasus) having a smaller and higher head than the North American bison. Also called aurochs.

[German, from Middle High German, from Old High German wisunt.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

aurochs 
1766, misapplication to the European bison (Bos Bison) of a word that actually refers to a species of wild ox (Bos Ursus) that went extinct 17c., from Ger. Aurochs, from O.H.G. urohso, from uro "aurochs" (cognate with O.E. ur, O.N. ürr), of unknown origin, + ohso "ox." L. urus and Gk. ouros are P.Gmc. loan-words.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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