zebra

ze·bra

noun \ˈzē-brə, Canada & British also ˈze-\

plural zebras

Definition of ZEBRA

1

plural also zebra : any of several fleet African mammals (Equus burchelli, E. grevyi, and E. zebra) related to the horse but distinctively and conspicuously patterned in stripes of black or dark brown and white or buff

2

[from the shirts patterned in black-and-white stripes worn by football referees] : referee 2

3

: zebra crossing

— ze·brine \-ˌbrīn\ adjective or noun

Origin of ZEBRA

Portuguese zebra, zebro wild ass, perhaps from Latin equiferus, kind of wild horse, from equus horse + ferus wild — more at equine, fierce

First Known Use: 1600

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

zebra

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Burchell's zebra (Equus burchellii).—Leonard Lee Rue III

Any of three species of black-and-white-striped equines that subsist almost entirely on grass. Zebras stand 47–55 in. (120–140 cm) tall. The Burchell's zebra, or bonte quagga (Equus quagga), of eastern and southern African grasslands, has wide, widely spaced stripes. Grevy's zebra (E. grevyi), of arid areas in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, has narrow, closely spaced stripes and a white belly. The small mountain zebra (E. zebra), of dry upland plains in Namibia and western South Africa, has a gridlike pattern on the rump. Small zebra groups consisting of a stallion and several mares and foals may coalesce into large herds but retain their identity.