black buffalo
- noun
- /blæk ˈbʌfələʊ/
- US
:
búfalo negro
- Biologists are studying the population of the black buffalo in the Mississippi basin.
Examples
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The black buffalo is highly valued by some anglers for its size and strength.
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Several black buffalo were caught in the river during the spring spawning season.
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The black buffalo swims gracefully in the river.
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Many black buffaloes can be found in the Mississippi River.
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Several black buffalo were caught in the river during the spring spawning season.
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Biologists are studying the population of the black buffalo in the Mississippi basin.
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The black buffalo is highly valued by some anglers for its size and strength.
Synonyms
A large fish that lives in the lower Mississippi River, often called the black buffalo
A large freshwater fish found in North American rivers and lakes
A large fresh water fish with a mouth like a sucker from the Mississippi valley
Surface Forms
Morphology
black + buffalo
Formally the phrase looks like a straightforward adjective + noun combination, but its conventional referent is a specific freshwater fish species rather than a black-coloured buffalo mammal. A B1 learner who knows 'black' and 'buffalo' would very likely infer the literal animal meaning, so the actual fish meaning is not predictable from the parts and is therefore opaque.
Etymology
Black buffalo comes from early fishers who thought this big, dark river 'fish' looked like a buffalo. Here buffalo points to its heavy, rounded body and strong head, and black points to its dark color, so the name now means a large freshwater 'fish'.
