oliphaunt
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English oliphaunt, olifaunt, from Old French olifant, from Latin elephantus; see elephant for more information.
Noun
oliphaunt (plural oliphaunts)
- (archaic and historical) elephant
- 1523, John Skelton, “A ryght delectable treatyse upon a goodly garlande or chapelet of laurell”, in Poetical Works of John Skelton, published 1853, page 365:
- The gander, the gose, and the hudge oliphaunt, / Went with the pecok ageyne the fesaunt;
- 1876, William Curry, Jun. & Co, The Dublin university magazine: Volume 88:
- His mugge so Taste and wide, I wel opine,
An oliphaunt he might have swallow'd[.]
- 1954, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Two Towers, Random House, published 1982, →ISBN, page 283:
- ‘Were there any oliphaunts?’ asked Sam, forgetting his fear in his eagerness for news of strange places.
Usage notes
- In current usage, this form is chiefly found in reference to the very large fictional elephants found in The Lord of the Rings and other works by J. R. R. Tolkien.
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