Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A zebralike mammal (Equus quagga) of southern Africa, extinct since the late 19th century.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An African solidungulate quadruped of the horse family, Equus or Hippotigris quagga, related to the ass and zebra, but not fully striped like the latter, not being banded on the hind quarters and legs. The ears are short, the head is comparatively small, the tail is tufted, and the color is a dark brown on the head, neck, and shoulders, the back and hind quarters being of a lighter brown, the croup of a russet-gray, and the under parts of the body white. It will breed with the horse, and a mixed race of this kind existed in England some years ago. By the natives the flesh is esteemed palatable.
- n. Burchell's zebra, Equus or Hippotigris burchelli, closely related to the above, but striped throughout like the zebra: more fully called bonte-quagga. See cut under dauw.
Wiktionary
- n. A southern African subspecies of zebra, Equus quagga quagga, extinct since 1883. The upper parts are reddish brown, becoming paler behind and beneath, with dark stripes on the face, neck, and fore part of the body. Taxonomic name: Equus quagga.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) A South African wild ass (Equus quagga syn. Hippotigris quagga). The upper parts are reddish brown, becoming paler behind and behind and beneath, with dark stripes on the face, neck, and fore part of the body. The species became extinct in the late 1800's, largely due to excessive hunting.
WordNet 3.0
- n. mammal of South Africa that resembled a zebra; extinct since late 19th century
Etymologies
- From Dutch quagga ( > Afrikaans kwagga), probably from Haiǁom/Nama ǁkoaah, apparently of imitative origin. (Wiktionary)
- Afrikaans, from Xhosa (i-)qwaxa, something striped, perhaps from Khoikhoin !ua-xa. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The quagga was a horselike animal native to southern Africa that went extinct in 1883.”
“An old joke among the Dutch, the first Europeans to settle in South Africa, was that the quagga was a zebra that had forgotten its pajama pants.”
“Much is made of whether it is a "real" quagga or not, but according to Jonathan Kingdon, in Volume 3 B of his magisterial 7- volume East African Mammals, the quagga is a mere race, conspecific with the common zebra.”
“Fourth, the "quagga"; and fifth, the undetermined species known as the "white zebra," so called from its pale yellow, or Isabella colour.”
“Thayer's talk will bring board members up to speed regarding current non-native species that pose a threat to the ecological balance of the basin, while also discussing techniques designed to prevent aggressive species such as quagga and zebra mussels from entering the lake.”
“Tim Lampe demonstrates how to check trailer tires and the surrounding areas for invasive aquatic species, such as quagga and zebra mussels, which could come from using boats in other bodies of water.”
“The sticker fees, which help fight invasive species such as quagga and zebra mussels, are”
“When you have a temperature of, like, 39 degrees and you're at a depth where there's no wave action or current, the only thing that can damage the wood would be zebra or quagga mussels as they collect and grow in big clumps and fall off, Kennard said.”
“The only invasives that make me hesitate are sea lampreys, if the head is also served on the platter, and quagga mussels, because of the potential for botulism.”
“I am very apprehensive about invasive species - Asian carp, quagga and zebra mussels, etc.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘quagga’.
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• De rerum natura
What is this list about?
Interesting words in nature and natural science (in any language!).
What kind of words am I supposed to add?
You can add species names that you lov...lagerstätte, parthenogenesis, bushbaby, lepidoptera, dinoflagellate, pupation, chrysalis, ephemeroptera, deinococcus radio..., homoplasy, sciophilous, syncytium and 218 more...
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Q words
Ever get stuck with the random bunch of letters and a q and not know any words? Well, maybe this will help.
quire, quais, quai, queer, quoit, quitrent, quipster, question, quest, questing, quests, quit and 208 more...
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phrontistery - q
from phrontistery.info
quoz, quotuple, quotum, quotition, quotiety, quotidian, quotha, quotennial, quotatious, quorate, quondam, quomodocunquize and 227 more...
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horses
everything horses
horse, bay, bloodhorse, bloodstock, bolter, broncho, bronco, brumby, bucker, buckjumper, cob, cocktail and 200 more...
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Davenport
words looked up recently from reading Guy Davenport
flenite, sampan, provender, comitatus, cycladic, surd, scialytic, lignite, plangencies, fugal, zamindary, macaque and 112 more...
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A Sequel to 250 Spelling Words
Words to quiz the intermediate and advanced speller alike
sinopia, replevin, lathee, hoisin, kerygma, czardas, amoxicillin, talipes, simoleon, hypermnesia, anodyne, mystique and 238 more...
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stripes and bands
variegated armadillos and other asundry bands and stripes
fajada, raye, apar, fasciated, hemigalus, numbat, onyx, tatouay, tortrix, coquina, peba, myrmecobius and 113 more...
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Good ol' qu-
quag, quagga, quaff, querulous, quorum, sesquipedalian, quibble, quip, aquiline, quote, quotationist, quoter and 29 more...
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Quantum...Qualtum
words of the Qn & Ql ...words of the near, pfearless future
quaich, quadrivial, quagga, quair, quaestor, quaigh, quaked, qualmn, qualming, quantong, quantal, qualtal and 19 more...
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September Words-11337
During the month of September, post at least 10 new words to this list. Make sure you cite where you read the word (book/author/pg) and quote the context/sentence where you found it. If someone has...
flabbergasted, discombobulated, inclination, serendipity, savvy, profound, incarnation, myriad, confiscate, audacity, deciduous, adieu and 79 more...
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Animals (besides pottos)
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robin, wagtail, frog, bunny, pronk, rabbit, fur, badger, mouse, bee, crepuscular, purr and 140 more...
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ChortleGiggleSnort
Significant Words- Guiding you on your path to Snazzibility
flimsy, feeble, ranting, ramble, narky, snazzy, yoghurt, bulbous, pustule, globulous, geranium, megalomaniac and 521 more...
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thekatespanos's list
pomposity, gaggle, scintilla, lemming, bilk, vanquish, conflate, plenary, verisimilitude, perspicacious, rattletrap, obdurate and 325 more...
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bintalshamsa's list
My Favorite Words
weltschmerz, perspicacity, idée fixe, invigilator, salubrious, tchotchke, ex nihilo, invidious, malapropism, naïve, sardonic, elide and 1402 more...
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Animalia
Pertaining to the beasts and the birds and the fishes of the sea, etc
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Wordnik Notebooks
All the words from the cover of the Wordnik notebook.
A few words appear twice: frass, cruet, luna, thalweg, and possibly some more.
Careful: Contains spoilers!spilth, frass, fomite, rux, worricow, alizarin, mundungus, parthenocarpy, jib, whinyard, weisure, nimiety and 217 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for quagga.

hgould3 Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010 Sep 29, 2010
jaime_d From "Au Tombeau de Charles Fourier" by Guy Davenport Jan 19, 2010