olitiau

O1L1I1T1I1A1U1

noun

A gigantic cryptid of Central Africa, said to resemble a bat or flying reptile.

Scrabble 7

Meanings

noun
  1. A gigantic cryptid of Central Africa, said to resemble a bat or flying reptile.

    As large as a huge eagle, local tribesmen called it an Olitiau.

    1998, Robert Nicholson, Great Mysteries
    5 more examples

    "What kind of a bat is it," I asked, "that has wings like this (opening my arms) and is all black?" "Olitiau!" somebody almost screamed, and there was a hurried conference in the Assumbo tongue.

    1943, Clifton Fadiman, Sinclair Lewis, Carl Van Doren, The Three Readers

    ...the kongamato like the olitiau is in the habit of diving at men crossing its territory — perhaps trying to drive them away...

    1958, Bernard Heuvelmans, On the tracks of unknown animals

    Several authorities have boldly attempted to equate the olitiau with a pterodactyl, in preference to a giant bat.

    2003, Karl Shuker, The beasts that hide from man: seeking the world's last undiscovered animals

    Known locally as the olitiau, the creature that buzzed Dr. Sanderson was similar to dozens of other strange birds said to still inhabit remote corners of Africa.

    2006, E. Randall Floyd, The world's 100 greatest mysteries

    In his youth, Sanderson, a Scot, was an explorer who mounted expeditions into some of the world's most isolated jungles, recording numerous thus-far unknown creatures — most notably, the gigantic bat-like creature known as the Olitiau, which attacked his party while he was exploring in the Assumbo Mountains of Cameroon.

    2008, Rory Storm, Monster Hunt: The Guide to Cryptozoology

Origin

Probably a fusion of the Ipulo words ole and ntya.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

olitiau. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/olitiau

MLA

“olitiau.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/olitiau. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “olitiau,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/olitiau.

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