bighorn sheep
3
6.5
- noun
- /ˈbɪɡˌhɔrn ʃip/
- US
- The park ranger pointed out that the bighorn sheep are well-adapted to the harsh mountain environment.
- deer and bighorn sheep
- bighorn sheep and mule
Examples
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A group of bighorn sheep grazed peacefully on the hillside as we drove by.
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Antelope Island is home to mule deer, bighorn sheep, antelope, and a bison herd of 600 animals.
Academic text (2005) -
The case involved the prosecution of two tribal members for killing three bighorn sheep in the park.
Academic text (2001) -
By the 1930s, bighorn sheep numbers plummeted, bringing the animals close to extinction at the Grand Canyon.
Academic text (2012) -
We first noticed a small bighorn sheep perched on one of the ledges by our flat.
Blog text (14) -
Several bighorn sheep, rams and ewes, look down from a steep hill overlooking the Confluence.
Blog text (5) -
Rock-art depictions of deer and bighorn sheep lead archaeologists to believe these were the animals they hunted.
Academic text (2004) -
While in Jasper, our group of five had a great opportunity to photograph many bighorn sheep, especially near Medicine Lake on the road to Maligne Lake, and here he shares a handsome bighorn ram from that trip.
Academic text (2005) -
As he took it, he nodded toward the other side of the canyon, and Helen followed his gaze and saw a herd of bighorn sheep standing like sculptures, staring back at them.
Fiction book (1998) -
While hiking in the mountains, we spotted a bighorn sheep standing on the rocky ledge.
Synonyms
4
7.6
A wild mountain sheep with large curved horns from western North America
1
3.5
A wild sheep that lives on steep, rocky mountain slopes
1
8.3
A wild sheep with big curved horns that lives in the mountains of western North America
1
6.8
A wild sheep with large curved horns that lives in western North American mountains
1
9.9
A wild sheep with large curved horns that lives in the mountains of western North America
1
9.9
A wild sheep with large curved horns that lives on rocky mountain slopes in western North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
bighorn + sheep
The meaning 'a sheep with large curved horns' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'bighorn' (indicating large horns) with 'sheep' — the compound simply names a type of sheep. This straightforward noun+noun compounding is a common, compositional pattern in English (and across languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand it.
Etymology
Bighorn sheep gets its name from the animal's most obvious feature: the males have very large, curved horns—think big + horn—and they use them to crash into rivals. So the name points to these mountain sheep with huge horns.