oliphaunt

English

Alternative forms

• olifant, oliphant, olyfaunte, olyphant

Etymology

From Middle English oliphaunt, olifaunt, from Old French olifant, from Latin elephantus; see elephant for more information.

Noun

oliphaunt (plural oliphaunts)

1. (archaic and historical) elephant
   • 1523, John Skelton, “A ryght delectable treatyse upon a goodly garlande or chapelet of laurell”, in Poetical Works of John Skelton, published 1853, page 365:

     The gander, the gose, and the hudge oliphaunt, / Went with the pecok ageyne the fesaunt;

   • 1876, William Curry, Jun. & Co, The Dublin university magazine: Volume 88:

     His mugge so Taste and wide, I wel opine,
     An oliphaunt he might have swallow'd[.]

   • 1954, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Two Towers, Random House, published 1982, →ISBN, page 283:

     ‘Were there any oliphaunts?’ asked Sam, forgetting his fear in his eagerness for news of strange places.

Usage notes

• In current usage, this form is chiefly found in reference to the very large fictional elephants found in The Lord of the Rings and other works by J. R. R. Tolkien.
  • oliphaunt on Wikipedia.Wikipedia