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Glite Dictionary
sable antelope

sable antelope

9.5
A large African animal like a deer with a dark coat and long curved horns
  • noun
  • /ˈseɪbəl ˈæntəloʊp/
  • South African
translation icon : antílope sable
  • The sable antelope is known for its striking black coat and impressive horns.

Examples

  • The sable antelope is known for its striking coat.

  • Wildlife photographers travel to Africa to capture images of the elusive sable antelope.

  • A group of sable antelopes grazed peacefully in the savanna.

  • Did you see the sable antelope at the zoo?

  • The sable antelope is known for its impressive curved horns and dark fur.

  • Many wildlife photographers seek to capture images of the elusive sable antelope in its natural habitat.

  • During our safari, we were thrilled to spot a sable antelope gracefully roaming across the savannah.

Synonyms

Hippotragus niger
vssable antelope
  • Specialized
9.9

A large black antelope from East and Southern Africa with long horns that curve backward

is a general description stressing a dark coat and long backward curved horns

Surface Forms

sable antelope singular
sable antelopes plural

Morphology

sable + antelope

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'sable' (brownish-black) modifying 'antelope'—an antelope with a dark coat—so a learner who knows both words can infer the referent. This noun modifier + noun pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows regular English compounding, making it transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

The name sable antelope comes from the word sable, which means very dark, almost 'black', fur. Because this animal has a shiny dark coat and long horns, people called it the sable antelope, so the name points to the antelope's dark colour today.