gnu

G2N1U1
UK/njuː/UK/ɡəˈnuː/UK/ɡəˈnjuː/US/nuː/

noun

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

Similar
wildebeest
OriginDutch gnoe ← Khoekhoe ǃnu: →
CommonScrabble 4
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Meanings

gnu1

noungnu (plural gnus or gnu)

plural gnus

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

    Synonyms: wildebeest

GNU2

nounGNU (plural GNUs)

plural GNUs

  1. abbreviationgovernmentAbbreviation of government of national unity.

    This scenario would hark back to the post-apartheid era when South Africa operated under a GNU to oversee the new constitution, led by Mandela as president and FW de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki as deputy presidents, between April 1994 and February 1997.

    2024 May 30, Sarah Dean and David McKenzie, “First results in South Africa’s election suggest it is heading for biggest political shift since apartheid”, in CNN

GNU3

proper noun
  1. The Free Software Foundation's project to develop a free UNIX-like operating system, including the legal framework, such as the source code and documentation licenses.

Synonyms & antonyms

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

Similar
wildebeest

More synonyms by meaning

nounlarge African antelope having a head with horns like an ox and a long tufted tail

Similar
wildebeest
Broader
antelope
Also see
horned horsenew atheistwildebeest

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

gnu · noun

  1. Khoekhoeǃnu:
  2. Dutchgnoe
  3. Englishgnu

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

More words from Dutch, Khoekhoe

Full word history & related roots →

GNU · proper noun

  1. EnglishGNU
  2. Proto-Indo-European*né
  3. Proto-Germanic*ne
  4. Proto-West Germanic*ne
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ey-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂óyu
  7. Proto-Germanic*aiwaz
  8. Proto-West Germanic*aiw
  9. Proto-West Germanic*naiw
  10. Proto-Indo-European*wekʷ-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*wékʷtisder.?
  12. Proto-Indo-European*weǵʰ-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*wéǵʰtisder.?
  14. Proto-Germanic*wihtą
  15. Proto-West Germanic*wiht
  16. Proto-West Germanic*naiwwiht
  17. Old Englishnāwiht
  18. Old English*nōht
  19. Middle Englishnought
  20. Middle Englishnot
  21. Englishnot
  22. Proto-Indo-European*mel-
  23. Proto-Indo-European*ml̥tós?
  24. Proto-Italic*moltos
  25. Latinmulti-
  26. Proto-Indo-European*pel-der.?
  27. Latinmultiplex
  28. Englishmultiplexed
  29. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  30. Proto-Italic*en
  31. Proto-Italic*en-
  32. Latinin-
  33. Ancient Greekμορφή (morphḗ)der.?
  34. Latinfōrma
  35. Latinfōrmō
  36. Latinīnfōrmō
  37. Late Latinīnfōrmātiō
  38. Middle Englishenformacioun
  39. Englishinformation
  40. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  41. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  42. Proto-Italic*kom
  43. Proto-Italic*kom-
  44. Latincon-
  45. Latinputus
  46. Latinputō
  47. Latincomputō
  48. Latincomputāre
  49. Frenchcomputer
  50. Englishcomputing
  51. Proto-Indo-European*ser-der.?
  52. Proto-Italic*serwos
  53. Latinservus
  54. Latinservitium
  55. Old Frenchservise
  56. Old Englishserfis
  57. Middle Englishservise
  58. Englishservice
  59. EnglishMultiplexed Information and Computing Service
  60. EnglishMultics
  61. Englisheunuchinflu.
  62. EnglishUnix
  63. Englishgnuinflu.
  64. EnglishGNU's not Unixacronym
  65. EnglishGNU

Coined by Richard Stallman in 1983 as a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not Unix”, following convention of naming programs similar to or inspired by existing programs as “(New Name) Is Not (Old Name)”; compare Xinu. Specifically influenced by lack of English words of form ?nu (“?NU is Not Unix”), that gnu is the alphabetically first (and in fact only) English word of the form ?nu (“?’s Not Unix”), that gnu was perceived as a humorous word, and the existence of the song “The Gnu”.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans wildebees
  • wildebeeslarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Arabic نَوّ
  • نَوّ (naww)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Basque ñu
  • ñularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Bulgarian гну
  • гну (gnu)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Catalan nyu
  • nyularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Chinese Mandarin 牛羚, 角馬 /角马
  • 牛羚 (niúlíng)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • 角馬 /角马 (jiǎomǎ)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Czech pakůň
  • pakůňlarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Danish gnu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Dutch gnoe
  • gnoelarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Esperanto gnuo
  • gnuolarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Finnish gnu, gnuu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • gnuularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
French gnou
  • gnoularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
German Gnu
  • Gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Greek γκνου
  • γκνου (gknou)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Hebrew גנו
  • גנו (g'nu)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Hindi विल्डबीस्ट
  • विल्डबीस्ट (vilḍabīsṭ)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Hungarian gnú
  • gnúlarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Icelandic gnýr
  • gnýrlarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Indonesian wildebes, gnu
  • wildebeslarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Irish gnú
  • gnúlarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Italian gnu, kokoon
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • kokoonlarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Japanese ヌー, 牛氈鹿
  • ヌー (nū)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • 牛氈鹿 (ushikamoshika)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Korean 누
  • 누 (nu)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Latvian gnu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Lithuanian gnu, antilopės gnu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • antilopės gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Malay gnu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Norwegian Bokmål gnu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Polish gnu, antylopa gnu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • antylopa gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Portuguese gnu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Punjabi ਵਿਲਡਬੀਸਟ, ਗ੍ਨੂ
  • ਵਿਲਡਬੀਸਟ (vilḍabīsaṭ)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • ਗ੍ਨੂ (gnū)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Romanian gnu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Russian гну, антило́па-гну
  • гну (gnu)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • антило́па-гну (antilópa-gnu)large antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Spanish ñu
  • ñularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Swahili nyumbu, mbogo
  • nyumbularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • mbogolarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Swedish gnu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Tagalog nyu, gnu
  • nyularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Turkish gnu
  • gnularge antelope of the genus Connochaetes
Vietnamese linh dương đầu bò
  • linh dương đầu bòlarge antelope of the genus Connochaetes

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with gnu

younewdowhoviewtwothroughreviewutooqfewbluefaqduetruecontinuequesushoeCPUvenuePeruzoo
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

newnuknewGNU (UK)gnu (one pronunciation)

Anagrams

gunUngNgunug
Cite this entry
APA

gnu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnu

MLA

“gnu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnu. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gnu,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnu.

Source: gnu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.