bison

IPA/ˈbaɪsn/
KK[bˈaɪsən]IPA/ˈbaɪsn/

bison — noun

  • bisonsingular
  • bisonsplural

1. A large, hairy animal with a heavy body, short horns, and a thick coat of fur on

1.nounB1
Definition

A large, hairy animal with a heavy body, short horns, and a thick coat of fur on its head and shoulders. Bison are native to both North America and parts of Europe, are related to cattle, and typically travel in large groups called herds.

Example

The herd of bison moved slowly across the grassy plains as evening fell over the valley.

herd of bison — a group of bison travelling together

Rangers in Yellowstone National Park told visitors to stay at least twenty-five meters away from any bison they saw.

stay [distance] away from — giving a safety warning about wild animals

Common collocations
  • herd of bison
  • American bison
  • European bison
  • bison hunt
  • bison population
  • bison meat
Synonyms
  • buffalo

    In everyday North American English, bison are commonly called buffalo, though scientists use 'bison' for the American and European species and 'buffalo' for the African buffalo and Asian water buffalo.

Usage Note

Countable noun. The plural is also bison (e.g., 'a herd of bison') or bisons, though bison is more common as the plural form in modern English.

Common Mistakes

Bisons are native to North America.
Bison are native to North America.
The plural of bison is usually bison, not bisons.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Bison and buffalo are often used interchangeably in North America, but technically they refer to different animals. Bison are the shaggy, hump-backed animals native to North America and Europe. True buffalo — the African buffalo and the Asian water buffalo — have smoother coats and different horn shapes. Cattle are the domesticated farm animals descended from a different branch of the bovine family. In practice, when a North American speaker says 'buffalo,' they almost certainly mean the American bison — the animal of the Great Plains. European bison, sometimes called wisent, are a separate species with a slightly different build. For formal or scientific writing, use bison for the American and European species, and reserve buffalo for the African and Asian animals.

bison ↗buffalo ↗cattle ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • herd of bison
  • American bison
  • European bison
  • bison hunt
  • bison population
  • bison meat

Etymology

GermanicLatinEnglish

Bison comes from Latin bison, which was borrowed from a Germanic source. The word is related to the animal's name in old Germanic languages, where it referred to the wild ox or aurochs. The modern English spelling settled on bison in the 1600s, and the animal's scientific genus name Bison was established by Carl Linnaeus in the 1700s.