bison

CEFRC1

/bˈaɪsən/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    any of several large humped bovids having shaggy manes and large heads and short horns.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A large, wild bovid of the genus Bison.

Examples

  • Buffalo Bill didn't kill any bison. It was climate change that did it.

  • When Columbus discovered America, bison (American buffalo) inhabited a wide-ranging area.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1

Also pronounced

  • /ˈbaɪ̯sən/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A town, the county seat of Perkins County, South Dakota.

More examples

In context

  • The bison is the national mammal of the United States.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Visitors watched a herd of blank graze on the tall grass of the prairie.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English bysontes, bysountes pl, from Middle French bison, from Latin bisōn, bisōnt- (“wild ox”). The Latin term is recorded in the 1st century, likely a direct loan from Proto-Germanic *wisundaz (“wild ox, aurochs”) (see for full etymology). Akin to Old High German wisunt (“bison”), German Wisent (“bison”), Old English wesend, wusend (“bison, buffalo, wild ox”), Middle Dutch wēsent (“wild ox”). Doublet of wisent.