English Explanatory Dictionary

Bison

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. A city and town in Kansas.
  2. A town, the county seat of Perkins County, South Dakota.
noun
  1. A large, wild bovid of the genus Bison.

Pronunciation

/ˈbaɪ̯sən/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-bison.wav

Word forms

Bison bisons bisontes

Etymology

From Middle English bysontes, bysountes pl, from Middle French bison, from Latin bisōn, bisōnt- (“wild ox”). The Latin term is recorded in the 1st century, likely a direct loan from Proto-Germanic *wisundaz (“wild ox, aurochs”) (see for full etymology). Akin to Old High German wisunt (“bison”), German Wisent (“bison”), Old English wesend, wusend (“bison, buffalo, wild ox”), Middle Dutch wēsent (“wild ox”). Doublet of wisent.

Derived words

American bison bison grass European bison Higgs bison Indian bison North American bison plains bison steppe bison wood bison
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