musk ox
2
6.0
- noun
- /mʌsk ɑks/
- US
:
buey almizclero
- The thick fur of the musk ox keeps it warm in the frigid Arctic temperatures.
- herd of musk oxen
- creatures known as musk oxen
- musk ox and caribou
Examples
-
Long dark brown hairs from the musk ox's hide marked the path.
Fiction book (1990) -
Time after time, the people hunted the caribou and, best of all, the small herds of musk oxen who foraged in the foothills.
Fiction book (1990) -
But I know this: Runs In Light found musk ox on the march and kept us alive.
Fiction book (1990) -
The day we found the musk ox.
Fiction book (1990) -
Some hunters also pursued wolves and musk oxen, but they noted no change in the physical condition of these species.
Academic text (2007) -
Green Water recognized the thick hair and heavy hoof: musk ox.
Fiction book (1990) -
Though their underwool was shed in summer, musk oxen became stressed if the weather turned too warm.
Fiction book (1990) -
In fact, the only large mammals depicted in this mini diorama that still survive in North America are musk oxen—and, on the far left—humans.
Blog text (28) -
It required ample stores of food, a radio-support network, helicopters to get in and out of the region, and firearms to ward off polar bears and musk oxen.
Academic text (2006) -
During our trip to Canada, we encountered a herd of musk ox grazing peacefully on the tundra.
Synonyms
1
6.5
A large, shaggy Arctic animal with curved horns and very thick fur
A large shaggy mammal like an ox or sheep that lives in the Arctic tundra, often called the musk ox
A large animal with thick fur like an ox that lives in the Arctic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally built: 'musk' (a strong animal scent) modifies 'ox' (a large bovine), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer an ox characterized by musk. This noun-noun modifier pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows regular English compounding, making the meaning readily derivable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
The name musk ox may come from a simple picture: male animals give off a strong, musky smell when they try to attract mates, and the creature looks like a big ox. Musk means 'strong scent' and ox means 'large cattle', so the name points to a large, shaggy animal known for its smell.