Bison Meaning
/ˈbaɪ̯sən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA large, wild bovid of the genus Bison.
nameA city and town in Kansas.
Sentence Examples
When Columbus discovered America, bison (American buffalo) inhabited a wide-ranging area.
Buffalo Bill didn't kill any bison. It was climate change that did it.
The bison is the national mammal of the United States.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Visitors watched a herd of ____ graze on the tall grass of the prairie.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A large herd of ____ was grazing peacefully on the open grassy plain.
Word Origin & History
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.
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CEFR Practice Quiz
Visitors watched a herd of ____ graze on the tall grass of the prairie.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A large herd of ____ was grazing peacefully on the open grassy plain.