Impala

How to spell impala

6 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce impala

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does impala mean?

1. nounA medium-sized African antelope known for its reddish coat and remarkable leaping ability.

Impala in a sentence

• The impala bounded across the savannah in a single fluid leap.

• On safari we watched a young impala drink nervously at the waterhole.

Where does impala come from?

Language of origin: Other

The word comes directly from Zulu, a Bantu language of southern Africa, where 'impala' is the name for this graceful reddish-brown antelope. It entered English in the early nineteenth century as European naturalists and settlers in southern Africa adopted the local name for the animal rather than inventing one of their own. Closely related Bantu languages such as Tswana use similar forms, which is why the word looks at home across the region. Because English simply took the African word whole, there is no Latin or Greek root to fall back on, so the spelling has to be learned as the single unit it is. The same name later became famous far beyond wildlife when a well known American car was christened the Impala in the late 1950s, borrowing the antelope's reputation for speed and elegance.

How the word is built

• impala (a whole word borrowed from Zulu; no Latin or Greek affixes to break down)