nilgó
/nilˈɡo/masculine
The Spanish word for the nilgai is nilgó.
nilgó refers to the nilgai, a large antelope native to northern India.
Meaning: large antelope of northern India (noun)
Which one should you use?
The term Antílope negro is an alternative way that speakers sometimes refer to the nilgai.
How do you pronounce it?
/nilˈɡo/
Did you know?
- The word nilgó is a phonetic adaptation of the Sanskrit word 'nilgai', meaning 'blue cow'.
- In Spanish, the word nilgó is an example of a loanword that traveled from Hindi to English and then into Spanish, rather than coming directly from the original source.
- In Spanish zoological texts, the nilgó is often grouped with other 'antílopes', even though it is biologically a bovine relative of the cow.
Examples in context
- Según los últimos estudios, el antílope azul es originario del subcontinente indio.According to the latest studies, the nilgai is native to the Indian subcontinent.
- El antílope azul suele habitar áreas abiertas y pastizales.The nilgai is known to inhabit open areas and grasslands.
- ¿Sabías que los nilgós se adaptan fácilmente a diferentes tipos de hábitats?Did you know that nilgais easily adapt to different types of habitats?
- El nilgó vive en la India.The nilgai lives in India.
- Vi un nilgó en el zoológico.I saw a nilgai at the zoo.
- Ese nilgó es muy grande.That nilgai is very large.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are looking at animals in a zoology book.
- JavierMira este animal, se llama nilgó.Look at this animal, it is called a nilgai.
- Elena¿Es un tipo de gacela, Javier?Is it a type of gazelle, Javier?
- JavierNo, el nilgó es un antílope asiático.No, the nilgai is an Asian antelope.
- ElenaEs impresionante, Elena nunca había visto uno.It's impressive, Elena had never seen one.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nilgai” translations and entries nilgó, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
