Definition

1. Noun:
   • A spiral-horned South African antelope: A medium-sized antelope (Tragelaphus angasii) native to southeastern Africa. Males are dark grey-brown with faint white stripes and have long, spiraled horns. Females are reddish-brown without horns. Both have a distinctive fringe of white hair along the underside of the neck and body.
   • A city in Sudan: A city in east-central Sudan, located on the Blue Nile River. It serves as the capital of the state of Sennar.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Animal):
  • We spotted a male nyala drinking at the waterhole.
  • The nyala is known for its shy and elusive behavior in dense thickets.
• Noun (City):
  • The railway line connects Khartoum to Nyala.
  • Nyala is an important market center in the region.

Advanced Usage

• The word is used without modification for both singular and plural forms when referring to the animal (e.g., one nyala, a herd of nyala).
• When referring to the city, it is a proper noun and is always capitalized.

Variants and Related Words

• Lowland nyala: Another name for the common nyala antelope (), distinguishing it from the mountain nyala.
• Mountain nyala (): A related but separate and endangered antelope species found in the highlands of Ethiopia.

Synonyms

• For the animal: Antelope, tragelaphine (referring to the subfamily of spiral-horned antelopes).
• For the city: Urban center, metropolis (general terms for a city).

Different Meanings

This word is a clear example of a homonym: two distinct words with the same spelling and pronunciation but different origins and meanings. 1. Zoological Term: Refers to a specific species of African antelope. 2. Geographical Name: Refers to a specific city in Sudan.

Noun

1. spiral-horned South African antelope with a fringe of white hairs along back and neck
2. city in Sudan