zeekoe

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch zeekoe.

Noun

zeekoe (plural zeekoes)

1. (archaic) hippopotamus

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch seecoe, equivalent to zee (“sea”) +‎ koe (“cow”); compare English sea cow.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzeː.ku/, (some Northern dialects) [ˈsei̯.ku]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: zee‧koe

Noun

zeekoe f (plural zeekoeien, diminutive zeekoetje n)

1. manatee, marine mannal of the order Sirenia
2. (South Africa, archaic) common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) (now exclusively used when rendering Afrikaans seekoei)
   • 1652 April 24, Jan van Riebeeck, Daghregister, 46v.-47, in D.B. Bosman & H.B. Thom (eds.), A.A. Balkema (publ., 1952 ed.), page 31.

     Desen verleden nacht had 't volck aen lant een groote zeekoe gevangen, wel soo swaer als 2 gemene vette ossen, hebbende een seer affgrijsselijck, monstreus hooft ende verscheijde scherpe, uijtsteeckende tanden, waervan de langhste ⅝ el langh waren, met een corten halss ende laeghe beenen, de voeten bijnae van fatsoen als renocerosvoeten, edoch gekliefft in vier partijen; was seer fel ende wreet, ende hadden genoech te doen om te bedwinghen, onaengesien met eenighe cogels achter de ooren door 't hooft getrefft was, wesende de huijt wel 1 duijm dick ende soo hard dat op sommige plaetsen geen musquetscogel door coste geschoten worden; des hem recht voor in 't hooft lieten doot schieten, ende 't volck eeten, alsoo van goeden smaecke was, lopende de melck uijt de uijren.

     This past night the people ashore had caught a large hippo, as heavy as 2 common fat oxen, no less, having a very gruesome, monstrous head and several sharp teeth sticking out, of which the longest were 44 cm long, with a short neck and low legs, the feet almost of the shape of rhinoceros feet, though cloven into four parts; [it] was very fierce and cruel, and [they/we] were more than preoccupied to subdue it, although [it] had been hit in the head behind the ears with a few bullets, the hide being no less than 1 inch thick and so hard that in some place no musket bullet could be shot through [it]; therefore [we] let [someone] kill it with a shot straight in the front of the head, and let the people eat, because [it] was of a good taste, the milk running from the udders.

   Synonym: nijlpaard

Derived terms

• zeekoegat

Descendants

• Afrikaans: seekoei
• → Aukan: seku