Oliphaunt

Alternative forms

• olifant, oliphant, olyfaunte, olyphant

Origin

From , olifaunt, from Old French olifant, from Latin elephantus; see elephant for more information.

Full definition of oliphaunt

Noun

1. (archaic and historical) elephant
• 1523, John Skelton, “A ryght delectable treatyse upon a goodly garlande or chapelet of laurell” in Poetical Works of John Skelton, 1853, p 365:The gander, the gose, and the hudge oliphaunt,
  Went with the pecok ageyne the fesaunt;
• 1876, ?, William Curry, Jun. & Co, The Dublin university magazine: Volume 88, His mugge so Taste and wide, I wel opine,
  An oliphaunt he might have swallow'd.
• 1954, J. R. R. Tolkien, (second volume of ), Random House (1982), , page 283:‘Were there any oliphaunts?’ asked Sam, forgetting his fear in his eagerness for news of strange places.

Usage notes

In current usage, this form is chiefly found in reference to the very large fictional elephants found in The Lord of the Rings and other works by .