Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A domesticated ox (Bos indicus syn. B. taurus subsp. indicus) native to Asia and Africa, having a prominent hump on the back and a large dewlap.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The Indian bull, ox, or cow; any individual or breed of Bos indicus, having a hump on the withers.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) A bovine mammal (Ros Indicus) extensively domesticated in India, China, the East Indies, and East Africa. It usually has short horns, large pendulous ears, slender legs, a large dewlap, and a large, prominent hump over the shoulders; but these characters vary in different domestic breeds, which range in size from that of the common ox to that of a large mastiff.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A domesticated ox native to Asia and Africa, having a large fleshy hump on its back and a dewlap.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun domesticated ox having a humped back and long horns and a large dewlap; used chiefly as a draft animal in India and east Asia

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French zébu.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French zébu, from Tibetan.

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Examples

  • Many people called the zebu a buffalo; but the zebu is the zebu.

    INAUGURATION-EL MIRADOR CATTLE BREEDING COMMUNIT 1989

  • But no indeed, the buffalo is one thing and the zebu is another.

    20TH ANNIVERSARY OF LOS NARANJOS LIVESTOCK 1984

  • Some animals are fairly resistant to this disease, others such as zebu cattle, asses and horses are not.

    Chapter 6 1977

  • Malvolio: If a “zeebow” really does mean a tetsubo — and not, as I first thought, a zebu — that would mean the good people of Massachusetts have illegalized a fictional weapon, legendarily wielded by trolls.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » What is a zoobow? 2010

  • If a “zeebow” really does mean a tetsubo — and not, as I first thought, a zebu — that would mean the good people of Massachusetts have illegalized a fictional weapon, legendarily wielded by trolls.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » What is a zoobow? 2010

  • Malvolio: If a “zeebow” really does mean a tetsubo — and not, as I first thought, a zebu — that would mean the good people of Massachusetts have illegalized a fictional weapon, legendarily wielded by trolls.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » What is a zoobow? 2010

  • If a “zeebow” really does mean a tetsubo — and not, as I first thought, a zebu — that would mean the good people of Massachusetts have illegalized a fictional weapon, legendarily wielded by trolls.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » What is a zoobow? 2010

  • For example, when the car breaks down and strands you in the middle of nowhere, with absolutely no roadside towing, except maybe a couple of zebu cows in the closest village, if you can find their owner.

    The Panda's Thumb: May 2010 Archives 2010

  • Carts pulled by tough lean zebu (the local cattle) or by equally tough and lean humans haul their most precious commodity, water, which is in such short supply that people bathe and wash clothes on the roads whenever it rains.

    Valerie Tarico: Man Against Nature is Man Against Man 2010

  • Carts pulled by tough lean zebu (the local cattle) or by equally tough and lean humans haul their most precious commodity, water, which is in such short supply that people bathe and wash clothes on the roads whenever it rains.

    Valerie Tarico: Man Against Nature is Man Against Man 2010

Comments

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  • Seen in 1800 Woodcuts by Thomas Bewick and His School, on the same page with the buffalo, urus, bison, and musk-bull.

    August 25, 2008