zebu
UK /ˈziː.b(j)uː/ · US /ˈzi.b(j)u/ noun
Forms zebus
- noun A domesticated ox native to Asia and Africa, having a large fleshy hump on its back and a dewlap (Bos taurus indicus or bos indicus).
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from French zébu, probably from Tibetan མཛོ་པོ (mdzo po, “male bull–yak hybrid”), whence also zobo.
Webster’s 1913
- noun 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.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “zebu”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details