Gnu
/nuː/noun
A large antelope native to Africa, also called a wildebeest.
Did you know?The English name gnu was borrowed from Afrikaans, which got it from Dutch, and the word ultimately imitates the animal’s nasal grunt rather than carrying a hidden “magical” meaning.
Etymological Timeline
18th Century
Dutch/Afrikaans
gnoe
“The wildebeest, named for its grunting call.”
Late 18th Century
English
gnu
“A borrowed spelling of the African antelope name.”
Modern English
English
gnu
“A large African antelope, especially the wildebeest.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵneh₃-
“To know”