4 definitions found for okapi

okapi n 1: similar to the giraffe but smaller with much shorter neck and stripe on the legs [syn: okapi, Okapia johnstoni]

okapi noun Etymology: Mvuba (language spoken west of Lake Edward, Democratic Republic of the Congo) Date: 1900 an African ungulate mammal (Okapia johnstoni) that is closely related to the giraffe but has a relatively short neck, a coat typically of solid reddish chestnut on the trunk, yellowish white on the cheeks, and purplish-black and cream rings on the upper parts of the legs

okapi
n. (pl. same or okapis) a ruminant mammal, Okapia johnstoni, native to N. and NE Zaïre, with a head resembling that of a giraffe and a body resembling that of a zebra, having a dark chestnut coat and transverse stripes on the hindquarters and upper legs only.
Etymology: Mbuba

Okapi O*ka"pi, n. [Native name on the borders of Belgian Kongo, possibly the same word as Mpongwe okapo lean.] A peculiar mammal (Okapia johnostoni) closely related to the giraffe, discovered in the deep forests of Belgian Kongo in 1900. It is smaller than an ox, and somewhat like a giraffe, except that the neck is much shorter. Like the giraffe, it has no dewclaws. There is a small prominence on each frontal bone of the male. The color of the body is chiefly reddish chestnut, the cheeks are yellowish white, and the fore and hind legs above the knees and the haunches are striped with purplish black and cream color.