aurochs

noun au·rochs \ ˈau̇-ˌräks , ˈȯr-ˌäks \

Definition of aurochs

plural aurochs

: an extinct large long-horned wild ox (Bos primigenius) of Europe that is the ancestor of domestic cattle

Recent Examples of aurochs from the Web

For millennia the aurochs had turned grass into meat for us hunters.

— bob gathany, AL.com, "Up in the air at the Huntsville Community Kite Festival," 4 Mar. 2018
Those bovine descendants of the aurochs helped us invent civilization.

— bob gathany, AL.com, "Up in the air at the Huntsville Community Kite Festival," 4 Mar. 2018
The aurochs that humans once painted on caves, for example, and later domesticated into modern cattle, is long since extinct—but feral cattle run wild from Hawaii to Hong Kong.

— bill hatcher, National Geographic, "These Giant Invasive Beasts May Actually Be Good for the Planet," 6 Oct. 2017
Extinction aside, the aurochs appears to be thriving.

— jonathon keats, Discover Magazine, "Return of the Aurochs," 6 Feb. 2017
Horses, aurochs (ancient bison), woolly mammoths and rhinoceroses were also around.

— joanna klein, New York Times, "In the Caves of Ancient Humans, Stories Told Dot by Dot," 7 Mar. 2017
Goderie now has about 500 animals at various stages of becoming modern-day aurochs.

— jonathon keats, Discover Magazine, "Return of the Aurochs," 6 Feb. 2017
The aurochs, like the one found on the limestone slab, is a common theme in Aurignacian art, including at Chauvet Cave, which contains the oldest known figurative art in the world.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Dig This: Researchers Found a 38,000-Year-Old Engraving in France," 31 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aurochs.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of aurochs

German, from Old High German ūrohso, from ūro aurochs + ohso ox; akin to Old English ūr aurochs — more at ox

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First Known Use: 1755

in the meaning defined above

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