n., pl., springbok, or -boks, also springbuck or -bucks.
A small brown and white gazelle (Antidorcas marsupialis) of southern Africa, noted for its habit of repeatedly leaping high into the air when startled.
[Afrikaans : spring, to leap up (from Middle Dutch springhen) + bok, male deer (from Middle Dutch boc).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
