zubr

Noun

zubr (plural zubrs)

1. (obsolete) One of several species of European bison or aurochs, which were unclearly delineated in the 1800s when this sense was in use.
   • Herberstein and Martin Cronner assert that the name of Bison is always bestowed on the animal called Zubr or Zumbr by the Poles that the name of Aurochs or Urus is improperly bestowed upon it by the Germans; that these last mentioned names apply solely to the urus or Thur of the Polish nation and...1829-1831, James Wilson, "Essays on the Origin and Natural History of the Domestic Animals.", "Essay III: On the origin and natural history of the domestic ox, and its allied species", The Quarterly...
   • It is not improbable that the Bison mentioned by Seneca and Pliny was the Bonasus of Aristotle, and the Zubr and Auerochs of the moderns, while the Urus of these writers seems to be now extinct as a wild animal, but was perhaps the original of our present domestic cattle.* * Bojanus, however, is of...1832, Dr. von Jarocki, translator and abridger unknown, Arcana of Science and Art, Fifth Year, page 228
2. A wisent, European bison (Bos bonasus).
   • THE European bison, wisent or zubr (Bison bonasus) seems to be coming back into circulation again, at least among menagerie keepers. The London Zoo has a pair of them...1959-11-19, "Market in European Bison", The New Scientist, page 981
   • Near it is Bialowieza, the remainder of the European primeval forest. Bialowieza is home to the zubr, or Polish bison, which is a cousin of the American buffalo. In addition to the zubr, the Polish forests are also home to the wild boar, eagles, falcons, and many other animals.1994, Don McKay, Our Global Village - Poland: A Cultural Resource Guide, Lorenz Educational Press, page 3