onager

onager
/on"euh jeuhr/, n., pl. onagri /-gruy'/, onagers.
1. a wild ass, Equus hemionus, of southwestern Asia.
2. an ancient and medieval military catapult for throwing stones.
[1300-50; ME < LL: machine for throwing projectiles, L onager, onagrus wild ass < Gk ónagros (in both senses), alter. of ónos ágrios ass of the fields, wild ass (see ACRE)]

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▪ mammal
      (Equus hemionus onager), subspecies of the wild ass of Asia that ranged from northwest Iran to Turkmenistan. Pale-coloured and small, it has a short erect mane and fairly large ears. It was domesticated in ancient times but was replaced by the domestic horse and donkey. It now is found in limited numbers and may be approaching extinction. The name onager is sometimes used for the Asian wild ass (Equus hemionus). See also ass.

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  • ONAGER — (Heb. פֶּרֶא, Wild Ass; Job 39:5, also עָרוֹד). Two sub species of the wild ass, the Equus hemionus hemihippus, the Syrian onager, and the Equus hemionus onager, the Arabian onager, existed in the Syrian desert up to the present century. The… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Onager — On a*ger, n.; pl. L. {Onagri}, E. {Onagers}. [L. onager, onagrus, Gr. ?.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A military engine acting like a sling, which threw stones from a bag or wooden bucket, and was operated by machinery. Fairholt. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • onager — onáger m DEFINICIJA 1. zool. vrsta divljeg magarca (Equus hermionus onager); živi u zemljama JZ Azije 2. pov. vojn. sprava za bacanje kamenja u starorimskoj vojsci; katapult ETIMOLOGIJA lat. onager ← grč. ónagros ≃ ónos: magarac + ágrios: divlji …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • onager — (n.) Asiatic wild ass, mid 14c., from L. onager, from Gk. onagros, from onos ass (related to L. asinus, but the ultimate source is unknown) + agrios wild, lit. living in the fields, from agros field (see ACRE (Cf. acre)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • onager — [än′ə jər] n. pl. onagri [än′əgrī΄] or onagers [ME < L < Gr onagros, wild ass < onos, ass + agrios, wild < agros, country, field: see ACRE] 1. a wild ass (Equus hemionus onager) of central Asia 2. a catapult for throwing stones, used… …   English World dictionary

  • Onager — (v. gr.), 1) wilder Esel, Waldesel; 2) Kriegsmaschine, welche Steine, griechisches Feuer etc. in die Städte der Belagerten schleuderte …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Onager — Onager, der wilde Esel, s. Esel; auch ein Wurfgeschütz der Römer (s. Kriegsmaschinen, S. 672) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Onager — Onăger, Tierart, s. Esel …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Onager [2] — Onăger, Wurfmaschine der alten Römer, eine Art der einarmigen Balliste (s.d.) …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • onager — ► NOUN ▪ a wild ass of a race native to northern Iran. ORIGIN Greek onagros wild ass …   English terms dictionary

  • Onager — This article is about the horse species. For the weapon, see Onager (siege weapon). Onager Turkmenian Kulan (Equus hemionus kulan) at Korkeasaari Zoo. Conservation s …   Wikipedia

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