zebuhttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zebu_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezebu, n.
Revised 2018

zebunoun

  1. 1771–
    A type of domestic cattle characterized by a shoulder hump and a large dewlap, domesticated in South Asia, reaching North Africa at an early date, and now widely bred in tropical countries; an animal of this type.
    Now usually regarded as constituting the subspecies Bos taurus indicus, and comprising many breeds, including the Brahman.
    1. 1771
      M. de Buffon imagines his Zebu..to be Belon's.
      T. Pennant, Synopsis of Quadrupeds 9
    2. 1785
      He gives us the measurements of a Zebu..as taken by himself.
      T. Jefferson, Notes Virginia vi. 97
    3. 1847
      The zebu race is not confined to India, China, and the Indian islands, but is found on the eastern coast of Africa, and in..Madagascar.
      W. C. L. Martin, Ox 19/1
    4. 1870
      The cattle of the island belong to the same species as the zebu or Indian ox.
      Proceedings of Royal Geographical Society vol. 14 362
    5. 1903
      He bred a female hybrid from a zebu bull and a gayal cow.
      Times 9 January 5/2
    6. 1942
      The zebu withstands both rainy and dry seasons well.
      National Geographic Magazine June 805 (caption)
    7. 2015
      Zebu tend to be farmed in the tropics, thanks to adaptations that allow them to survive better.
      B. Shapiro, How to clone Mammoth v. 101

zebu, n. was revised in June 2018.

zebu, n. was last modified in September 2024.