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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Elephant's ear

Elephant \El"e*phant\ ([e^]l"[-e]*fant), n. [OE. elefaunt, olifant, OF. olifant, F. ['e]l['e]phant, L. elephantus, elephas, -antis, fr. Gr. 'ele`fas, 'ele`fantos; of unknown origin; perh. fr. Skr. ibha, with the Semitic article al, el, prefixed, or fr. Semitic Aleph hindi Indian bull; or cf. Goth. ulbandus camel, AS. olfend.]

  1. (Zo["o]l.) A mammal of the order Proboscidia and family Elephantidae, of which two living species, Elephas maximus (formerly Elephas Indicus) and Loxodonta Africana (formerly E. Africanus), and several fossil species, are known. They have five toes, a long proboscis or trunk, and two large ivory tusks proceeding from the extremity of the upper jaw, and curving upwards. The molar teeth are large and have transverse folds. Elephants are the largest land animals now existing. The elephant is classed as a pachyderm.

  2. Ivory; the tusk of the elephant. [Obs.] --Dryden. Elephant apple (Bot.), an East Indian fruit with a rough, hard rind, and edible pulp, borne by Feronia elephantum, a large tree related to the orange. Elephant bed (Geol.), at Brighton, England, abounding in fossil remains of elephants. --Mantell. Elephant beetle (Zo["o]l.), any very large beetle of the genus Goliathus (esp. G. giganteus), of the family Scarab[ae]id[ae]. They inhabit West Africa. Elephant fish (Zo["o]l.), a chim[ae]roid fish ( Callorhynchus antarcticus), with a proboscis-like projection of the snout. Elephant paper, paper of large size, 23 [times] 28 inches. Double elephant paper, paper measuring 263/4 [times] 40 inches. See Note under Paper. Elephant seal (Zo["o]l.), an African jumping shrew ( Macroscelides typicus), having a long nose like a proboscis. Elephant's ear (Bot.), a name given to certain species of the genus Begonia, which have immense one-sided leaves. Elephant's foot (Bot.)

    1. A South African plant ( Testudinaria Elephantipes), which has a massive rootstock covered with a kind of bark cracked with deep fissures; -- called also tortoise plant. The interior part is barely edible, whence the plant is also called Hottentot's bread.

    2. A genus ( Elephantopus) of coarse, composite weeds.

      Elephant's tusk (Zo["o]l.), the tooth shell. See Dentalium.

WordNet
elephant's ear
  1. n. any plant of the genus Alocasia having large showy basal leaves and boat-shaped spathe and reddish berries [syn: alocasia, elephant ear]

  2. tropical South American tree having a wide-spreading crown of bipinnate leaves and coiled ear-shaped fruits; grown for shade and ornament as well as valuable timber [syn: conacaste, Enterolobium cyclocarpa]

Usage examples of "elephant's ear".

Instead there was an enormous golden apple, a sphere of gold the height of a man with a foot-long stem and a single leaf the size of an elephant's ear.

In addition to being chief assistant detective, bookkeeper and stenographer, the flea in the elephant's ear, and balance wheel, I was also chauffeur and errand boy.

His boots had been resoled more than once with the raw-hide peeled from the inner surface of an elephant's ear, and his belt and webbing, the sling of his elephant gun renewed with uncured buffalo hide.