El·e·phant n.
 1. Zoöl. A mammal of the order Proboscidia and family Elephantidae, of which two living species, Elephas maximus (formerly Elephas Indicus) and Loxodonta Africana (formerly E. Africanus), and several fossil species, are known. They have five toes, a long proboscis or trunk, and two large ivory tusks proceeding from the extremity of the upper jaw, and curving upwards. The molar teeth are large and have transverse folds. Elephants are the largest land animals now existing.  The elephant is classed as a pachyderm.
 2. Ivory; the tusk of the elephant. [Obs.]
 Elephant apple Bot., an East Indian fruit with a rough, hard rind, and edible pulp, borne by Feronia elephantum, a large tree related to the orange.
 Elephant bed Geol., at Brighton, England, abounding in fossil remains of elephants. --Mantell.
 Elephant beetle Zoöl., any very large beetle of the genus Goliathus (esp. G. giganteus), of the family Scarabæidæ. They inhabit West Africa.
 Elephant fish Zoöl., a chimæroid fish (Callorhynchus antarcticus), with a proboscis-like projection of the snout.
 Elephant paper, paper of large size, 23 × 28 inches.
 Double elephant paper, paper measuring 26¾ × 40 inches. See Note under Paper.
 Elephant seal Zoöl., an African jumping shrew (Macroscelides typicus), having a long nose like a proboscis.
 Elephant's ear Bot., a name given to certain species of the genus Begonia, which have immense one-sided leaves.
 Elephant's foot Bot. (a) A South African plant (Testudinaria Elephantipes), which has a massive rootstock covered with a kind of bark cracked with deep fissures; -- called also tortoise plant. The interior part is barely edible, whence the plant is also called Hottentot's bread. (b) A genus (Elephantopus) of coarse, composite weeds.
 Elephant's tusk Zoöl., the tooth shell. See Dentalium.
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 elephant seal
      n : either of two large northern Atlantic earless seals having
          snouts like trunks [syn: sea elephant]