topi

1 of 2

noun (1)

to·​pi

variant of topee

: a lightweight helmet-shaped hat made of pith or cork

topi

2 of 2

noun (2)

to·​pi ˈtō-pē 

plural topi or topis

: a sub-Saharan antelope (Damaliscus lunatus synonym D. korrigum) having a glossy usually reddish-brown coat with purplish-black and yellowish markings

Examples of topi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

More than a million wildebeest along with hundreds of thousands of zebra, topi and other gazelle start their annual journey in the Serengeti National Park creating the largest herd movement of animals on the planet. —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 4 May 2023

Because their prevarication employs the fear of death, topi are among the most successful, too. —Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 24 May 2010

Male topi antelopes, for example, falsely sound the alarm if a female starts to leave their display arenas. —Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Mar. 2021

Ungulates like impala, topi, zebra, buffalos, and warthogs continued to graze in the same areas as livestock, competing for food. —Benedict Moran, National Geographic, 7 May 2019

Between 1983 and 1995, while the Lord’s Resistance Army terrorised Uganda, topi and roan, two species of antelope, were wiped out completely in the country’s Pian Upe reserve. —The Economist, 11 Jan. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

perhaps from Swahili

First Known Use

Noun (2)

1894, in the meaning defined above