elephant: Meaning and Definition of

el•e•phant

1. either of two large, five-toed pachyderms of the family Elephantidae, characterized by a long, prehensile trunk formed of the nose and upper lip, including Loxodonta africanawith enormous flapping ears, two fingerlike projections at the end of the trunk, and ivory tusks, and Elephas maximuswith smaller ears, one projection at the end of the trunk, and ivory tusks almost exclusively in males:is threatened; E. maximus is endangered. L. africana
2. a representation of this animal, used in the U.S. since 1874 as the emblem of the Republican party.
3. See
4. a size of drawing or writing paper, 23 × 28 in. (58 × 71 cm). Cf. double elephant.