Meaning & use
gazelas
Last updated
“gazelas” is a form of “gazela”.
Meanings
nounpluraltechnicalbiology
The plural form of "gazela", a genus name used in biology for the gazelles of Africa and Asia.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun in scientific writing; the singular "gazela" names one genus or one animal in that genus.
Patterns
- the genus Gazelas
- several gazelas
The paper listed two species that early authors placed among the gazelas.
Older field notes use "gazelas" where a modern writer would simply say "gazelles".
In the collection, the gazelas were grouped with the other small antelopes.
nounpluralrareold-fashioned
A rare or old-fashioned spelling of "gazelles", the slender, fast-running horned animals of African and Asian grasslands.
Grammar: Countable in meaning, but this spelling is uncommon; the singular would be "gazela" in the same old style.
Patterns
- a herd of gazelas
- gazelas on the plain
The old travel book describes herds of gazelas crossing the dry plain.
You may still see "gazelas" in nineteenth-century writing about African wildlife.
Modern readers are more likely to meet "gazelles" than "gazelas" in a nature article.
Word forms
| singular | gazela |
|---|
Common combinations
- a herd of gazelas
- At dusk a herd of gazelas moved toward the water hole.
- gazelas on the plain
- The photograph shows gazelas on the plain at sunrise.
- the genus Gazelas
- Some early taxonomists wrote the genus Gazelas with a capital letter.
- species of gazelas
- The old catalog lists several species of gazelas from East Africa.
- gazelas in the wild
- Fewer gazelas in the wild are counted each year in that region.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gazelles
- This is the normal modern English plural and fits almost every context; "gazelas" sounds technical or dated.
- antelopes
- A wider word for many horned grassland animals; it is less exact than "gazelas" when you mean this particular group.
Word family
- gazella noun
- The scientific genus name, written with a capital G in full taxonomic use.
- gazelle noun
- The everyday singular form of the animal.
Commonly confused: gazelas or gazelles? gazelas or gazpacho?
gazelas vs gazelles
This is the usual English plural; "gazelas" is a rare variant, so choosing "gazelles" is safer in ordinary writing.
gazelas vs gazpacho
A cold Spanish soup; it sounds a little like "gazelas" but has nothing to do with animals.
Practice
Which sentence uses the rare plural form "gazelas" in a natural way?
Choose one answer.
"Gazelas" is a rare plural for gazelles, so it fits a historical description of wild animals. Option 1 uses it as a food item, option 2 treats it as a verb, and option 3 wrongly pairs a plural with "is".
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gazelas”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.