Bison bison
- noun
- /ˈbaɪsən ˈbaɪsən/
- Specialized
:
bisonte americano
- The Bison bison once roamed across most of North America before near extinction in the 19th century.
Examples
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The population of Bison bison in Yellowstone National Park has increased significantly in recent decades.
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Researchers observed a herd of Bison bison grazing across the open prairie.
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The Bison bison is a symbol of the American West.
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Many Bison bison roam the plains of Montana.
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Researchers observed a herd of Bison bison grazing across the open prairie.
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The Bison bison once roamed across most of North America before near extinction in the 19th century.
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The population of Bison bison in Yellowstone National Park has increased significantly in recent decades.
Synonyms
32
3.9
A large wild animal like a cow with a humped back, thick fur, and short horns
28
1.7
A large wild animal with shaggy hair from North America often called bison or its meat used as food
1
3.3
A large shaggy brown animal that lives on the North American plains
A large, shaggy brown bison that lives on the North American plains
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents are the identical, familiar noun 'bison', so a learner who knows that word can readily infer the expression refers to the animal (the species named). Although 'Bison bison' is a Latin binomial scientific name, its meaning is directly recoverable from the repeated constituent, so comprehension does not require special idiomatic knowledge.
Etymology
Bison bison is the animal's scientific name and it repeats the word bison to make a clear label. Think of the double word as a simple way to show the 'American bison' is the 'true' bison of the plains, so the name points to the large, shaggy mammal we mean today.