elephant
elephant Lexical Profile
elephant Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A massive herbivorous mammal of the family Elephantidae, distinguished by a long prehensile trunk, column-like legs, large ear flaps, and often ivory tusks, native to the diverse habitats of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
"The wildlife documentary captured a herd of elephants migrating across the African savanna in search of a reliable water source."
An object or entity of enormous size or overwhelming prominence, often used metaphorically to represent a significant and obvious issue that people deliberately avoid discussing.
"The impending budget deficit was the elephant in the boardroom, yet no executive had the courage to bring it up."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'olifaunt', borrowed from Old French 'olifant', which derives from Latin 'elephantus', ultimately tracing back to Ancient Greek 'eléphas' (meaning 'elephant' or 'ivory'), likely of non-Indo-European origin.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.