gnu

See also: Gnu, GNU, gnú, and gnû

Translingual

Etymology

Abbreviation of English Gnau.

Symbol

gnu

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Gnau.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Gnau terms

English

A few gnus

Etymology

From Dutch gnoe, from Khoekhoe ǃnu:, of unknown origin, likely onomatopoeic of the grunt-type noise of the gnu.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /njuː/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /njuː/, /ɡəˈnuː/, /ɡəˈnjuː/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /nuː/, /njuː/
• Homophones: new, nu, knew, GNU (UK)
• Rhymes: -uː

Noun

gnu (plural gnus or gnu)

1. A large antelope of the genus Connochaetes, native to Africa, having curved horns.

   Synonym: wildebeest

Usage notes

• Pronunciation with initial /ɡ/ popularized as a joke, in particular through the song “The Gnu”.

Derived terms

• gnu goat

Translations

large antelope of the genus Connochaetes

• Afrikaans: wildebees (af)
• Arabic: نَوّ m (naww)
• Assamese: নু পহু (nu pohu)
• Asturian: ñu (ast) m
• Avar: гну (gnu)
• Azerbaijani: qnu
• Bashkir: гну (gnuw)
• Basque: ñu (eu)
• Breton: gnou
• Bulgarian: гну (gnu)
• Burmese: ဆတ်ကျွဲ (my) (hcatkywai:)
• Catalan: nyu (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 牛羚 (niúlíng), 角馬 / 角马 (jiǎomǎ)

• Cornish: bualgarow
• Czech: pakůň (cs) m
• Danish: gnu (da) c
• Dutch: gnoe (nl) m
• Esperanto: gnuo
• Faroese: gnýur m
• Finnish: gnu (fi), gnuu (fi)
• French: gnou (fr) m
• Frisian:

  North Frisian: gnuus

• Galician: ñu (gl)
• Georgian: გნუ (gnu)
• German: Gnu (de) n
• Greek: γκνου (el) n (gknou)
• Hebrew: גנו m (g'nu)
• Hindi: विल्डबीस्ट (vilḍabīsṭ)
• Hungarian: gnú (hu)
• Icelandic: gnýr (is) m
• Indonesian: wildebes, gnu
• Irish: gnú m
• Italian: gnu (it) m, kokoon m
• Japanese: ヌー (ja) (nū), 牛氈鹿 (ウシカモシカ, ushikamoshika)
• Javanese: gnu
• Kabyle: agnu
• Korean: 누 (ko) (nu)
• Kyrgyz: гну (gnu)
• Latvian: gnu
• Lezgi: гну (gnu)
• Lithuanian: gnu, antilopės gnu
• Macedonian: гну n (gnu)
• Malagasy: gno (mg)
• Malay: gnu
• Malayalam: വിൽഡെബീസ്റ്റ് (vilḍebīsṟṟŭ)
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: гну (gnu)

• Navajo: jádí dághaaʼígíí
• Northern Sotho: kgokong
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gnu (no) m

  Nynorsk: gnu m

• Nǀuu: ǀee
• Occitan: gno
• Polish: gnu (pl) n or f, antylopa gnu f
• Portuguese: gnu (pt) m
• Punjabi: ਵਿਲਡਬੀਸਟ (vilḍabīsaṭ), ਗ੍ਨੂ (gnū)
• Quechua: ñu
• Romanian: gnu (ro) m
• Romansh: gnu m
• Russian: гну (ru) m or f (gnu), антило́па-гну f (antilópa-gnu)
• Shona: ngongoni
• Slovene: gnu (sl) m
• Sorbian:

  Upper Sorbian: gnu m

• Spanish: ñu (es) m
• Swahili: nyumbu (sw), mbogo (sw)
• Swedish: gnu (sv) c
• Tagalog: nyu, gnu
• Tatar: гну (gnu)
• Turkish: gnu
• Udmurt: гну (gnu)
• Uzbek: gnu
• Vietnamese: linh dương đầu bò

See also

• GNU

Further reading

• gnu on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “gnu”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Ung, gun, NGU, Gun, UNG, nug, Ngu, NGu

Danish

Etymology

From German Gnu, from Afrikaans ghnoe, from Khoekhoe !nu:.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡnuː/, [ɡ̊nuːˀ]

Noun

gnu c (singular definite gnuen, plural indefinite gnuer)

1. gnu, wildebeest

Declension

Declension of gnu

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	gnu	gnuen	gnuer	gnuerne
genitive	gnus	gnuens	gnuers	gnuernes

References

• “gnu” in Den Danske Ordbog

Finnish

Alternative forms

• gnuu

Etymology

Borrowed from German Gnu, from Khoekhoe !nu:.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡnu(ː)/, [ˈɡnu(ː)]
• Rhymes: -u
• Syllabification^(key): gnu
• Hyphenation^(key): gnu

Noun

gnu

1. gnu, wildebeest (either of the two species of antelope in the genus Connochaetes)

   Hyponyms: juovagnu, valkohäntägnu

Declension

Inflection of gnu (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)
nominative		gnu	gnut
genitive		gnun	gnuiden gnuitten
partitive		gnuta	gnuita
illative		gnuhun	gnuihin
		singular	plural
nominative		gnu	gnut
accusative	nom.	gnu	gnut
	gen.	gnun
genitive		gnun	gnuiden gnuitten
partitive		gnuta	gnuita
inessive		gnussa	gnuissa
elative		gnusta	gnuista
illative		gnuhun	gnuihin
adessive		gnulla	gnuilla
ablative		gnulta	gnuilta
allative		gnulle	gnuille
essive		gnuna	gnuina
translative		gnuksi	gnuiksi
abessive		gnutta	gnuitta
instructive		—	gnuin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of gnu (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative gnuni gnuni accusative nom. gnuni gnuni gen. gnuni genitive gnuni gnuideni gnuitteni partitive gnutani gnuitani inessive gnussani gnuissani elative gnustani gnuistani illative gnuhuni gnuihini adessive gnullani gnuillani ablative gnultani gnuiltani allative gnulleni gnuilleni essive gnunani gnuinani translative gnukseni gnuikseni abessive gnuttani gnuittani instructive — — comitative — gnuineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative gnusi gnusi accusative nom. gnusi gnusi gen. gnusi genitive gnusi gnuidesi gnuittesi partitive gnutasi gnuitasi inessive gnussasi gnuissasi elative gnustasi gnuistasi illative gnuhusi gnuihisi adessive gnullasi gnuillasi ablative gnultasi gnuiltasi allative gnullesi gnuillesi essive gnunasi gnuinasi translative gnuksesi gnuiksesi abessive gnuttasi gnuittasi instructive — — comitative — gnuinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative gnumme gnumme accusative nom. gnumme gnumme gen. gnumme genitive gnumme gnuidemme gnuittemme partitive gnutamme gnuitamme inessive gnussamme gnuissamme elative gnustamme gnuistamme illative gnuhumme gnuihimme adessive gnullamme gnuillamme ablative gnultamme gnuiltamme allative gnullemme gnuillemme essive gnunamme gnuinamme translative gnuksemme gnuiksemme abessive gnuttamme gnuittamme instructive — — comitative — gnuinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative gnunne gnunne accusative nom. gnunne gnunne gen. gnunne genitive gnunne gnuidenne gnuittenne partitive gnutanne gnuitanne inessive gnussanne gnuissanne elative gnustanne gnuistanne illative gnuhunne gnuihinne adessive gnullanne gnuillanne ablative gnultanne gnuiltanne allative gnullenne gnuillenne essive gnunanne gnuinanne translative gnuksenne gnuiksenne abessive gnuttanne gnuittanne instructive — — comitative — gnuinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative gnunsa gnunsa accusative nom. gnunsa gnunsa gen. gnunsa genitive gnunsa gnuidensa gnuittensa partitive gnutaan gnutansa gnuitaan gnuitansa inessive gnussaan gnussansa gnuissaan gnuissansa elative gnustaan gnustansa gnuistaan gnuistansa illative gnuhunsa gnuihinsa adessive gnullaan gnullansa gnuillaan gnuillansa ablative gnultaan gnultansa gnuiltaan gnuiltansa allative gnulleen gnullensa gnuilleen gnuillensa essive gnunaan gnunansa gnuinaan gnuinansa translative gnukseen gnuksensa gnuikseen gnuiksensa abessive gnuttaan gnuttansa gnuittaan gnuittansa instructive — — comitative — gnuineen gnuinensa

Derived terms

• gnuantilooppi
• juovagnu (“Connochaetes taurinus, blue wildebeest, brindled gnu”)
• valkohäntägnu (“Connochaetes gnou, black wildebeest, white-tailed gnu”)

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from French gnou, from Khoekhoe ǃnu:, likely onomatopoeic in origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): ^*/ˈɲu/^*
• Rhymes: -u
• Hyphenation: gnù

Noun

gnu m (invariable)

1. gnu
2. wildebeest, kokoon

Derived terms

• gnu azzurro
• gnu dalla coda bianca
• gnu nero
• gnu striato

Further reading

• gnu in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• gnu in Aldo Gabrielli, Grandi Dizionario Italiano (Hoepli)
• gnu in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa
• gnu in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
• gnu in sapere.it – De Agostini Editore
• “gnu”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From an African language, via German Gnu.

Noun

gnu m (definite singular gnuen, indefinite plural gnuer, definite plural gnuene)

1. a gnu or wildebeest (large antelope)

References

• “gnu” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From German Gnu, from Afrikaans ghnoe. Ultimately Khoekhoe.

Noun

gnu m (definite singular gnuen, indefinite plural gnuar, definite plural gnuane)

1. a gnu or wildebeest (large antelope)

Etymology 2

From Old Norse gnúa. Cognate with Icelandic núa.

Verb

gnu (present tense gnur, past tense gnudde, past participle gnutt/gnudd, passive infinitive gnuast, present participle gnuande, imperative gnu)

1. (transitive) to rub hard
2. (transitive) to compress, crush
3. (intransitive) to work hard and evenly
4. (intransitive) to nag

References

• “gnu” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• ung

Polish

gnu

Etymology

Borrowed from German Gnu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡnu/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -u
• Syllabification: gnu

Noun

gnu n or f (indeclinable)

1. gnu, wildebeest (any antelope of the genus Connochaetes)

   Synonym: antylopa gnu

Further reading

• “gnu”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[2] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “gnu”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[3] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from French gnou.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ɡiˈnu/, /ˈɡnu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɡnu/, /ɡɨˈnu/

• Rhymes: -u
• Hyphenation: gnu

Noun

gnu m (plural gnus)

1. gnu

Further reading

• “gnu”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French gnou.

Noun

gnu m (uncountable)

1. gnu, wildebeest

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	gnu	gnul
genitive-dative	gnu	gnului
vocative	gnule

Tashelhit

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Berber *ăgnəβ (“to sew”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡnu/

Verb

gnu (imperfective gnnu, verbal noun tigni, Tifinagh spelling ⴳⵏⵓ, Arabic spelling ڭنو)

1. to sew, to mend, to be sewn

   تڭُنا اس ينّاس السّروال. ― tgʷna yas innas ssrwal. ― His mother sewed his pants.

References

• Stroomer, Harry (2025), Dictionnaire berbère tachelḥiyt-français — Tome 2 F–L (Handbook of Oriental Studies – Handbuch der Orientalistik; 188/2) (in French), Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, →DOI, →ISBN, page 929b