\El"e*phant\, n. [OE. elefaunt, olifant, OF. olifant,
F. ['e]l['e]phant, L. elephantus, elephas, -antis, fr. Gr. ?,
?; of unknown origin; perh. fr. Skr. ibha, with the Semitic
article al, el, prefixed, or fr. Semitic Aleph hindi Indian
bull; or cf. Goth. ulbandus camel, AS. olfend.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) A mammal of the order Proboscidia, of which two
   living species, {Elephas Indicus} and {E. Africanus}, and
   several fossil species, are known. They have a proboscis
   or trunk, and two large ivory tusks proceeding from the
   extremity of the upper jaw, and curving upwards. The molar
   teeth are large and have transverse folds. Elephants are
   the largest land animals now existing.
2. Ivory; the tusk of the elephant. [Obs.] --Dryden.
{Elephant apple} (Bot.), an East Indian fruit with a rough,
   hard rind, and edible pulp, borne by {Feronia elephantum},
   a large tree related to the orange.
{Elephant bed} (Geol.), at Brighton, England, abounding in
   fossil remains of elephants. --Mantell.
{Elephant beetle} (Zo["o]l.), any very large beetle of the
   genus {Goliathus} (esp. {G. giganteus}), of the family
   {Scarab[ae]id[ae]}. They inhabit West Africa.
{Elephant fish} (Zo["o]l.), a chim[ae]roid fish
   ({Callorhynchus antarcticus}), with a proboscis-like
   projection of the snout.
{Elephant paper}, paper of large size, 23 [times] 28 inches.
{Double elephant paper}, paper measuring 263/4 [times] 40
   inches. See Note under {Paper}.
{Elephant seal} (Zo["o]l.), an African jumping shrew
   ({Macroscelides typicus}), having a long nose like a
   proboscis.
{Elephant's ear} (Bot.), a name given to certain species of
   the genus Begonia, which have immense one-sided leaves.
{Elephant's foot} (Bot.)
   (a) A South African plant ({Testudinaria Elephantipes}),
       which has a massive rootstock covered with a kind of
       bark cracked with deep fissures; -- called also
       {tortoise plant}. The interior part is barely edible,
       whence the plant is also called {Hottentot's bread}.
   (b) A genus ({Elephantopus}) of coarse, composite weeds.
{Elephant's tusk} (Zo["o]l.), the tooth shell. See
   {Dentalium}.