Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A domesticated ox (Bos indicus) of Asia and eastern Africa, having a prominent hump on the back and a large dewlap.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The Indian bull, ox, or cow; any individual or breed of Bos indicus, having a hump on the withers. The zebu has been domesticated from time immemorial, and is now known only in its artificial breeds. These are numerous, and very various in size, shape, and color, the processes of artificial selection having modified the original stock in almost every particular. The characteristic hump is sometimes double. The flesh is considered a delicacy. The size of different breeds of zebus varies much. Some are as large as ordinary cattle, others no larger than a common calf a month or two old. The color is usually light gray, varying to pure white. The bulls of the latter color are consecrated to Siva, and become Brahminy bulls, exempt from labor or molestation. Zebus are bred particularly in India, but also in China, Japan, and some parts of Africa. They are used as beasts of burden and of draft, and as riding-animals, as well as for beef. The stock from which they have descended is by some naturalists supposed to represent only a variety of Bos taurus, the original of the ordinary domestic ox. See cut in preceding column.
Wiktionary
- n. A domesticated ox native to Asia and Africa, having a large fleshy hump on its back and a dewlap.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A bovine mammal (Ros Indicus) extensively domesticated in India, China, the East Indies, and East Africa. It usually has short horns, large pendulous ears, slender legs, a large dewlap, and a large, prominent hump over the shoulders; but these characters vary in different domestic breeds, which range in size from that of the common ox to that of a large mastiff.
WordNet 3.0
- n. domesticated ox having a humped back and long horns and a large dewlap; used chiefly as a draft animal in India and east Asia
Etymologies
- French zébu.
Examples
“Many people called the zebu a buffalo; but the zebu is the zebu.”
“But no indeed, the buffalo is one thing and the zebu is another.”
“Some animals are fairly resistant to this disease, others such as zebu cattle, asses and horses are not.”
“Carts pulled by tough lean zebu (the local cattle) or by equally tough and lean humans haul their most precious commodity, water, which is in such short supply that people bathe and wash clothes on the roads whenever it rains.”
The Huffington Post: Valerie Tarico: Man Against Nature is Man Against Man
“Malvolio: If a “zeebow” really does mean a tetsubo — and not, as I first thought, a zebu — that would mean the good people of Massachusetts have illegalized a fictional weapon, legendarily wielded by trolls.”
“If a “zeebow” really does mean a tetsubo — and not, as I first thought, a zebu — that would mean the good people of Massachusetts have illegalized a fictional weapon, legendarily wielded by trolls.”
“For example, when the car breaks down and strands you in the middle of nowhere, with absolutely no roadside towing, except maybe a couple of zebu cows in the closest village, if you can find their owner.”
“The use of zebu intestine as a casing is actually a child of mass retailing and the need of supermarkets for cervelas that were alike in color, size and flavor.”
Swiss Sausage Fans Fret Over How to Save Their Skin « Isegoria
“The zebu intestine, Mr. Schletti explained, is the ideal casing for sausage.”
Swiss Sausage Fans Fret Over How to Save Their Skin « Isegoria
“But it was only some time last year that the Swiss seemed to realize that the casing for their favorite sausage is made from the intestines of the Brazilian zebu, a hump-backed ox of Asian origin but now found widely in South America.”
Swiss Sausage Fans Fret Over How to Save Their Skin « Isegoria
Lists
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chained_bear Seen in 1800 Woodcuts by Thomas Bewick and His School, on the same page with the buffalo, urus, bison, and musk-bull. Aug 25, 2008