Saiga
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Saiga tatarica, an antelope which inhabits a vast area between Kalmykia, Kazakhstan, southern Siberia.
"Its ʽcore faunaʼ consisted of the woolly mammoth, woolly rhino, saiga, muskox and the arctic fox. All except the woolly rhino evolved in the northern Arctic, and all had been evolving for several million years before their modern forms appeared."
- 2 goat-like antelope of central Eurasia having a stubby nose like a proboscis wordnet
Example
More examples"Its ʽcore faunaʼ consisted of the woolly mammoth, woolly rhino, saiga, muskox and the arctic fox. All except the woolly rhino evolved in the northern Arctic, and all had been evolving for several million years before their modern forms appeared."
Etymology
From Russian сайга́ (sajgá), alternative form of сайга́к (sajgák), from Chagatai سایغاق (saiɣak, “chamois”).