Bison bonasus
- noun
- Specialized
:
bisonte europeo
- Visitors to the national park were excited to spot a herd of Bison bonasus grazing in the meadow.
Examples
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The Bison bonasus once roamed freely across European forests but is now mainly found in reserves.
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Conservationists are working to increase the population of Bison bonasus in Eastern Europe.
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The Bison bonasus is a magnificent creature.
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Many Bison bonasus roam freely in Poland.
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Conservationists are working to increase the population of Bison bonasus in Eastern Europe.
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Visitors to the national park were excited to spot a herd of Bison bonasus grazing in the meadow.
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The Bison bonasus once roamed freely across European forests but is now mainly found in reserves.
Synonyms
32
3.9
A large wild animal like a cow with a humped back, thick fur, and short horns
A large wild European bison with a smaller, higher head
Surface Forms
Morphology
bison + bonasus
The constituent 'bison' clearly identifies the animal class, so a learner would infer this phrase refers to a type of bison; however 'bonasus' is a Latin species epithet (not an English word) and does not transparently convey the specific sense 'European bison' or its distinguishing features. Scientific binomial names function as conventional proper nouns across languages, so the expression is partly compositional (a species of bison) but not fully predictable from the parts.
Etymology
The scientific name Bison bonasus uses two old words, bison and bonasus, that mean 'wild ox'. Scientists gave this name to the large European forest bison, so the name simply points to that animal today.