rock hyrax

noun

variants or less commonly rock dassie

: a diurnal, terrestrial hyrax (Procavia capensis) of Africa and the Middle East that frequents rocky, scrub-covered areas

Also residing in the kopje are rock hyraxes—small, social mammals that look like rodents but are more closely related to elephants, as their tusklike incisors attest.

—Deborah A. Besch

Note: There are several subspecies of rock hyraxes that are sometimes regarded as distinct species. The rock hyrax of the Middle East is the coney of the Old Testament.

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above