Meanings
plural bluebucks
- An extinct mammal, †Hippotragus leucophaeus, the first large African mammal to become extinct in historical times (circa 1800).
The blaubok, or bluebuck, was an antelope of the same genus as the roan and the sable; it was eliminated before 1800, primarily because the settlers took over the animal's grazing land for their cattle.
1993, Raymond Bonner, At the Hand of Man: Peril and Hope for Africa's Wildlife, page 452 more examples
Almost all of these antelope communities have been reduced to scattered remnants by excessive hunting in the past and loss of habitat to agricultural development, but the bluebuck is the only antelope species which has been exterminated.
1989, J. L. Anderson, R. D. Carr, A. J. Hall-Martin, S. C. J. Joubert, M. E. Keep, P. H. Lloyd, S. Vrahimis, “Chapter 10: South Africa”, in Rod East, editor, Antelopes: Southern and South-Central Africa, page 58The bluebuck, or blue antelope, was the first large African mammal to become extinct in historical times. Bluebuck numbers began dropping about 2000 years ago and the species was already rare by the 1700s.[…]The last bluebuck was reportedly killed in 1799.
2008, United Nations Environment Programme, Africa: Atlas of Our Changing Environment, page 26Synonyms: blaubok, blauwbok, bloubok, blue antelope, bluebok
- The nilgai.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn extinct mammal, †Hippotragus leucophaeus, the first large African mammal to become extinct in historical times (circa 1800).
Cite this entry
bluebuck. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bluebuck
“bluebuck.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bluebuck. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bluebuck,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bluebuck.
Source: bluebuck on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.