Kobus leche
- noun
- The Kobus leche is often seen grazing near rivers and floodplains in southern Africa.
Examples
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Wildlife reserves are working to protect the threatened Kobus leche from habitat loss.
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The Kobus leche is known for its impressive leaping ability.
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A guide pointed out a herd of Kobus leche in the distance as we drove through the savannah.
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Have you ever seen a Kobus leche in the wild?
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A guide pointed out a herd of Kobus leche in the distance as we drove through the savannah.
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The Kobus leche is often seen grazing near rivers and floodplains in southern Africa.
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Wildlife reserves are working to protect the threatened Kobus leche from habitat loss.
Synonyms
2
9.9
A brown African antelope with long legs that lives in wet grass near water
Surface Forms
Morphology
Kobus + leche
This is a scientific Latin binomial (taxonomic) name rather than a compositional English phrase, so its meaning as a tawny African antelope is not derivable from the parts—especially since 'leche' is not a recognizable English word. Even if a learner knew 'Kobus' as a genus label, that knowledge would not let a B1 learner infer the species' appearance or common name, so the expression is unpredictable.
Etymology
Kobus leche may come from a local word 'lechwe' for the water-loving antelope, with Kobus as the group name and leche from that local word. Picture a tawny animal with long back legs splashing through shallow marshes, and that image explains why the name refers to this antelope that lives on wet grassy plains.