common zebra
- noun
- /ˈkɑːmən ˈziːbrə/
- South African
:
cebra común
- The common zebra is easily recognized by its distinctive black and white stripes.
Examples
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In a documentary about African wildlife, the common zebra grazes peacefully on the savannah.
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Visitors to the zoo were excited to see a common zebra for the first time.
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Common zebra.
Synonyms
A zebra with black and white stripes that lives on African plains
A wild animal like a horse with broad black and white stripes from parts of Africa
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'common' (frequent/widespread) modifies 'zebra', so a listener can infer it refers to a commonly found or ordinary zebra species. This adjective+noun pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand the MWE.
Etymology
Common zebra gets its name because it was the zebra people most often saw on the African plains. Here, common means 'usual' or 'widespread' and the name shows that zebra refers to the familiar black-and-white striped species you see in herds today.
