Main Entry: wil·de·beest

Pronunciation: \ˈwil-də-ˌbēst\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural wildebeests also wildebeest

Etymology: Afrikaans wildebees, from wilde wild + bees ox

Date: circa 1824

: either of two large African antelopes (Connochaetes gnou and C. taurinus) with a head like that of an ox, short mane, long tail, and horns in both sexes that curve downward and outward —called also gnu

[wildebeest illustration]