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blacktail jackrabbit

blacktail jackrabbit

7.9
A large wild hare with long black-tipped ears and a black streak on its tail
  • noun
  • /ˈblækˌteɪl ˈdʒækˌræbɪt/
  • US
translation icon : liebre de cola negra
  • We spotted a blacktail jackrabbit hopping through the tall prairie grass at dawn.

Examples

  • The blacktail jackrabbit can outrun many of its predators in the wild.

  • The long ears of the blacktail jackrabbit help it detect danger from a distance.

  • Look! A blacktail jackrabbit!

  • The blacktail jackrabbit is known for its distinctive ears.

  • While hiking in the grasslands, we observed a blacktail jackrabbit darting across the open field.

  • The blacktail jackrabbit uses its speed and sharp hearing to escape from predators.

  • I was excited to see a blacktail jackrabbit with its striking black-tipped ears in the wildlife reserve.

Synonyms

Lepus californicus
vsblacktail jackrabbit
  • Specialized
9.9

A large hare with long black-tipped ears and a black-streaked tail that lives in western US grasslands

is the common everyday name for the same animal

Surface Forms

Morphology

blacktail + jackrabbit

The compound is fully compositional: 'blacktail' (black + tail) describes the tail's color and 'jackrabbit' names the animal, so the combined meaning 'a jackrabbit with a black tail' is directly derivable from the parts. This descriptive noun pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows transparent adjectival/nominal composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand it.

Etymology

Blacktail jackrabbit is a name that comes from the animal's look: blacktail points to the dark stripe on its 'tail' and jackrabbit is a common name for a big, long-eared 'hare'. So the name simply describes this large hare with long ears and a black-marked tail.