Standard Lemma guide

gomphothere

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /ˈɡɒm.fə.θɪə(ɹ)/
  • General-American: /ˈɡɑm.fə.θɪɹ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of the extinct proboscideans of the family Gomphotheriidae, that lived in North America and Eurasia during the Miocene and Pliocene (12—1.6 million years ago), and latterly also in South America (around 3 million to 9100 years ago).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

extinct elephants of Central American and South America; of the Miocene and Pleistocene

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: elephant

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek γόμφος (gómphos, “nail, peg, fastener, joint”) + θηρίον (thēríon, “beast”).