gnu
Translingual
Etymology
Abbreviation of English Gnau.
Symbol
gnu
See also
- Wiktionary’s coverage of Gnau terms
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Khoekhoe ǃnu:, of unknown origin, likely onomatopoeic of the grunt-type noise of the gnu.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /njuː/
- (UK) IPA(key): /njuː/, /ɡəˈnuː/[1], /ɡəˈnjuː/[1]
Audio (Southern England): (file)
- (US) IPA(key): /nuː/, /njuː/
- Homophones: new, nu, knew, GNU (UK)
- Rhymes: -uː
Noun
gnu (plural gnus or gnu)
- A large antelope of the genus Connochaetes, native to Africa, having curved horns.
- Synonym: wildebeest
Usage notes
- Pronunciation with initial /ɡ/ popularized as a joke, in particular through the song “The Gnu”.[2][3]
Derived terms
Translations
large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
|
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “gnu”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- ^ Sue Butler (2020) “False patterns in English spelling”, in Rebel Without A Clause[1], Macmillan, →ISBN: “The pronunciation [guh-noo] was popularised as a joke until we all heard that pronunciation so often that it seemed more familiar than [nu].”
- ^ Flanders and Swann (1957) “The Gnu”: “If the animal in question hadn't put that chap to shame / And remarked "I h'ain't a h'elk, I'm a g-nu"”
Further reading
Anagrams
Danish
Etymology
From German Gnu, from Afrikaans ghnoe, from Bantu.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡnuː/, [ɡ̊nuːˀ]
Noun
gnu c (singular definite gnuen, plural indefinite gnuer)
Inflection
| common gender |
singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | gnu | gnuen | gnuer | gnuerne |
| genitive | gnus | gnuens | gnuers | gnuernes |
Finnish
Alternative forms
Etymology
Borrowed from German Gnu, from Khoekhoe !nu:.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɡnu(ː)/, [ˈɡnu(ː)]
- Rhymes: -u
- Syllabification(key): gnu
- Hyphenation(key): gnu
Noun
gnu
- gnu, wildebeest (either of the two species of antelope in the genus Connochaetes)
- Hyponyms: juovagnu, valkohäntägnu
Declension
| Inflection of gnu (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | gnu | gnut | |
| genitive | gnun | gnuiden gnuitten | |
| partitive | gnuta | gnuita | |
| illative | gnuhun | gnuihin | |
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | gnu | gnut | |
| accusative | nom. | gnu | gnut |
| gen. | gnun | ||
| genitive | gnun | gnuiden gnuitten | |
| partitive | gnuta | gnuita | |
| inessive | gnussa | gnuissa | |
| elative | gnusta | gnuista | |
| illative | gnuhun | gnuihin | |
| adessive | gnulla | gnuilla | |
| ablative | gnulta | gnuilta | |
| allative | gnulle | gnuille | |
| essive | gnuna | gnuina | |
| translative | gnuksi | gnuiksi | |
| abessive | gnutta | gnuitta | |
| instructive | — | gnuin | |
| comitative | See the possessive forms below. | ||
| Possessive forms of gnu (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Derived terms
- gnuantilooppi
- juovagnu (“Connochaetes taurinus, blue wildebeest, brindled gnu”)
- valkohäntägnu (“Connochaetes gnou, black wildebeest, white-tailed gnu”)
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from French gnou, from Khoekhoe ǃnu:, likely onomatopoeic in origin.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): */ˈɲu/*[1]
- Rhymes: -u
- Hyphenation: gnù
Noun
gnu m (invariable)
Derived terms
References
- ^ gnu in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
Further reading
- gnu in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
- gnu in Aldo Gabrielli, Grandi Dizionario Italiano (Hoepli)
- gnu in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa
- gnu in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
- gnu in sapere.it – De Agostini Editore
- gnu in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From an African language, via German Gnu.
Noun
gnu m (definite singular gnuen, indefinite plural gnuer, definite plural gnuene)
- a gnu or wildebeest (large antelope)
References
- “gnu” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology 1
From German Gnu, from Afrikaans ghnoe. Ultimately Khoekhoe.
Noun
gnu m (definite singular gnuen, indefinite plural gnuar, definite plural gnuane)
- a gnu or wildebeest (large antelope)
Etymology 2
From Old Norse gnúa. Cognate with Icelandic núa.
Verb
gnu (present tense gnur, past tense gnudde, past participle gnutt/gnudd, passive infinitive gnuast, present participle gnuande, imperative gnu)
- (transitive) to rub hard
- (transitive) to compress, crush
- (intransitive) to work hard and evenly
- (intransitive) to nag
References
- “gnu” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Anagrams
Polish
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɡnu/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -u
- Syllabification: gnu
Noun
gnu n or f (indeclinable)
- gnu, wildebeest (any antelope of the genus Connochaetes)
- Synonym: antylopa gnu
Further reading
- gnu in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- gnu in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Etymology
Borrowed from French gnou.[1][2]
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ɡiˈnu/, /ˈɡnu/
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈɡnu/, /ɡiˈnu/
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈɡnu/, /ɡɨˈnu/
- Rhymes: -u
- Hyphenation: gnu
Noun
gnu m (plural gnus)
References
- ^ “gnu”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
- ^ “gnu”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025
Romanian
Etymology
Noun
gnu m (uncountable)
Declension
| singular only | indefinite | definite |
|---|---|---|
| nominative-accusative | gnu | gnul |
| genitive-dative | gnu | gnului |
| vocative | gnule | |