quagga

[ kwag-uh, kwog-uh ]

/ ˈkwæg ə, ˈkwɒg ə /

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noun

an extinct equine mammal, Equus quagga, of southern Africa, related to and resembling the zebra, but striped only on the forepart of the body and the head.

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Origin of quagga

1775–85; <Afrikaans (now spelling kwagga) <Khoikhoi, first recorded as quácha (1691); said to be imitative of the animal's yelp

Words nearby quagga

quads, quaere, quaestor, quaff, quag, quagga, quaggy, quagmire, quahog, quaich, Quai d'Orsay

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quagga in a sentence

One of the latest problems for these ships are quagga mussels, an invasive freshwater mussel native to Ukraine that latches onto the wood of these shipwrecks.
Dead ships find solace under the treacherous surface of the Great Lakes|Margo Milanowski|December 6, 2021|Popular-Science
He was curious moreover, to find out whether his own quagga was quite equal to any of its old companions.
Popular Adventure Tales|Mayne Reid
After a moment he bent down, passed a sleeve upon each side under the quagga's throat, and then knotted them together.
Popular Adventure Tales|Mayne Reid
This family consists of the true horses and the asses, which latter also include the zebra and quagga.
Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon|Robert A. Sterndale

He is perhaps more allied to the quagga, but without stripes, except a reported one along each side of the back to the tail.
Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon|Robert A. Sterndale
Determined to try a quagga—quagga tried me, and very soon found me wanting, A quagga is a brute to buck!
Punch's Almanack for 1890|Various

British Dictionary definitions for quagga

quagga

/ (ˈkwæɡə) /

noun plural -gas or -ga

a recently extinct member of the horse family (Equidae), Equus quagga, of southern Africa: it had a sandy brown colouring with zebra-like stripes on the head and shoulders

Word Origin for quagga

C18: from obsolete Afrikaans, from Khoikhoi qǔagga; compare Xhosa i-qwara something striped

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012