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Glite Dictionary
lesser kudu

lesser kudu

9.9
A small African animal like a deer with white stripes and spiral horns that lives in dry woodlands
  • noun
  • South African
translation icon : kudu menor
  • During our safari, we were excited to see a lesser kudu darting between the bushes, an elegant reminder of Africa's diverse wildlife.

Examples

  • As the sun set over the savannah, I spotted a lesser kudu gracefully moving through the underbrush, showcasing its beautiful markings.

  • Huge herds of kudu - greater kudu and lesser kudu.

    Melinda and Melinda (2004)

  • In the dry woodlands of East Africa, a group of lesser kudu grazed peacefully, their striking white stripes blending with the shadows of the trees.

Synonyms

Tragelaphus imberbis
vslesser kudu
  • Specialized
9.9

A small African antelope with a slender body and spiral horns

is the common everyday name rather than the Latin term

Surface Forms

lesser kudu singular
lesser kudus plural

Morphology

lesser + kudu

The compound is fully compositional: 'lesser' (smaller or of reduced size) simply modifies the noun 'kudu' (an African antelope), so the overall meaning 'a smaller species/variety of kudu' is directly derivable from the parts. This adjective + noun taxonomic/size distinction is a common, cross-linguistic pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Lesser kudu is a name that may come from a local African word for this animal: kudu was the word people used for the antelope, and lesser means 'smaller'. So the name tells you it is a smaller kind of kudu, which is why it refers to the small African antelope today.