nilgai
UK[ˈnɪlɡaɪ]US[ˈnɪlˌɡaɪ]
n
A large Indian antelope, the male of which has a bluish-grey coat and short, straight horns.
Etymology
The word 'nilgai' entered English in the late 18th century from Hindi 'nīlgāī', which itself is a compound from the classical Sanskrit words 'nīla' (meaning blue, dark blue) and 'gau' (meaning cow, ox). This name is a direct and literal description of the animal's most distinctive feature, as the adult male nilgai has a slate-blue or bluish-grey coat. The term is a prime example of a loanword where the original descriptive compound from another language is adopted wholesale into English without being broken down into its constituent, recognizable parts for English speakers, functioning instead as a simplex label for the specific animal.
Analysis
This word is a loanword from Hindi, derived from the Sanskrit elements 'nīla' (blue) and 'gau' (cow). In the English spelling, these elements are not separable as distinct, productive morphemes.
Examples
The nilgai, often called the blue bull, is the largest Asian antelope.
Farmers sometimes consider the nilgai a pest because it can damage crops.
A herd of nilgai was spotted grazing on the open grassland.