oudad
|ou-dad|
C2
🇺🇸
/ˈaʊdæd/
🇬🇧
/ˈaʊdɑːd/
North African wild sheep
Etymology
Etymology Information
'oudad' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'awdad' (أوداد), where the root referred to a type of wild sheep.
Historical Evolution
'oudad' entered European languages via French (19th century) as 'oudad' from Arabic 'awdad', and was adopted into English with the same sense.
Meaning Changes
Initially, it meant 'a particular North African wild sheep' and over time it has retained this core meaning as the name for that species.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a North African wild sheep (Ammotragus lervia), also called an aoudad or Barbary sheep.
The zoo recently acquired an oudad for its North African species exhibit.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/01 12:01