Bison Definition

bīsən, -zən
noun
A bovine mammal (Bison bison) of western North America, having large forequarters, a shaggy mane, and a massive head with short curved horns; a buffalo.
American Heritage
Any of a genus (Bison) of bovid ruminants having a shaggy mane, short, curved horns, and a humped back, as the American buffalo (B. bison) or the wisent.
Webster's New World
A bovine mammal (Bison bonasus) of Europe, similar to the North American bison but with a somewhat smaller head and longer horns; a wisent.
American Heritage
The flesh of the North American bison, used as food.
American Heritage

A wild ox, Bison bonasus.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:
pronoun

A taxonomic genus within the subfamily Bovinae — the bisons.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Bison

Noun

Singular:
bison
Plural:
bisons

Origin of Bison

  • Middle English bisontes (plural), from Old French bison, from Latin bisōn, bisōnt- (“wild ox”), from Proto-Germanic *wisundaz (“wild ox, aurochs”), from Proto-Indo-European *wisAn- (“aurochs, aurochs horn”), from Proto-Indo-European *weys- (“to flow, melt”). Akin to Old High German wisunt "bison" (German Wisent "bison"), Old English wesend, wusend "bison, buffalo, wild ox", Middle Dutch wēsent "wild ox".

    From Wiktionary

  • Latin bisōn of Germanic origin Old High German wisunt

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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