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har·te·beest

(härtə-bēst′, härtbēst′)

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).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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