Nearby Words

wildebeest

[wil-duh-beest, vil-] Origin

wil·de·beest

[wil-duh-beest, vil-]
noun, plural -beests, (especially collectively) -beest.

Origin:
1830–40; < Afrikaans wildebees < Dutch wildebeest, equivalent to wild wild + beest beast
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Wildebeest is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Collins
World English Dictionary
wildebeest (ˈwɪldɪˌbiːst, ˈvɪl-)
 
n , pl -beests, -beest
another name for gnu
 
[C19: from Afrikaans, literally: wild beast]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

wildebeest
1838, from S. African Du. (in modern Afrikaans wildebees, pl. wildebeeste), lit. "wild beast," from Du. wild "wild" (see wild (adj.)) + beest "beast, ox" (in S.African Du. "steer, cattle"), from M.Du. beeste, from O.Fr. beste "beast" (see beast).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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