n. pl. har·te·beests or hartebeest Any of various large African antelopes of the genus Alcelaphus, having a tan to reddish-brown coat, a long narrow head, and ringed, outward-curving horns. [Obsolete Afrikaans, from Middle Dutch, variant of hertebeest : hert, deer; see ker-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + beest, beast (from Old French beste; see BEAST).] |
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