proboscidean

1 9.9

A large plant-eating mammal with tusks and a long trunk like an elephant

noun
/prəˈbɑsɪdiən/

Specialized

: proboscídeo

Many proboscideans, including modern elephants, are known for their complex social structures and intelligence.

Examples

One of the major ones is how the bones of a human and a proboscidean, an order of mammals that includes extinct species such as mastodons, mammoths, and gomphotheres, wound up at the bottom of Hoyo Negro together.

Academic text (2011)
Or was Hoyo Negro simply a dangerous watering hole that once lured a proboscidean and a human to their deaths?

Academic text (2011)
The museum display included a life-sized model of a proboscidean, showcasing its long trunk and large tusks.
Scientists discovered fossils of a proboscidean that lived millions of years ago, revealing much about its diet and habitat.

Synonyms

proboscidian

vsproboscidean

Specialized

9.9

A large plant-eating animal like an elephant with a long trunk and tusks

has identical meaning but is a different accepted spelling or form

Surface Forms

proboscidean singular

proboscideans plural

Morphology

proboscidean = Proboscidea (semi-transparent) = proboscis + ean

Derived from the scientific name Proboscidea (referring to animals with a proboscis); the link to 'proboscis' (trunk) is meaningful but requires specialized or biological knowledge.

Etymology

Proboscidean comes from the Greek word proboscis, which means 'long nose' and gives us the English word proboscis. So, a proboscidean is an animal with a long 'trunk' or 'nose', like an elephant.