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Meaning of "white elephant" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF WHITE ELEPHANT

white elephant play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WHITE ELEPHANT

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
White elephant is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES WHITE ELEPHANT MEAN IN ENGLISH?

white elephant

White elephant

A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth. The term derives from the story that the kings of Siam were accustomed to make a present of one of these animals to courtiers who had rendered themselves obnoxious, in order to ruin the recipient by the cost of its maintenance. In modern usage, it is an object, scheme, business venture, facility, etc., considered without use or value. Albino elephants exist in nature, usually being reddish-brown or pink.

Definition of white elephant in the English dictionary

The first definition of white elephant in the dictionary is a rare albino or pale grey variety of the Indian elephant, regarded as sacred in parts of S Asia. Other definition of white elephant is a possession that is unwanted by its owner. White elephant is also an elaborate venture, construction, etc, that proves useless.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE WHITE ELEPHANT

white charlock
white Christmas
white clover
white coal
white coat
white cockatoo
white coffee
white corpuscle
white currant
white dwarf
white elephant stall
White Ensign
white feather
white finger
white fish
white flag
white flight
white flint
white flour
white fox

WORDS THAT END LIKE WHITE ELEPHANT

African elephant
baby elephant
bull elephant
chant
couchant
disenchant
elephant
enchant
etchant
hierophant
Indian elephant
merchant
Oliphant
penchant
sea elephant
sycophant
Thant
timber merchant
triumphant
U Thant

Synonyms and antonyms of white elephant in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «white elephant» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF WHITE ELEPHANT

Find out the translation of white elephant to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of white elephant from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «white elephant» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

白象
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

elefante blanco
570 millions of speakers

English

white elephant
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

सफेद हाथी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الفيل الأبيض
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

белый слон
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

elefante branco
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

সাদা হাতি
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

éléphant blanc
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Gajah putih
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

weißen Elefanten
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

白象
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

흰색 코끼리
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Gajah putih
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

voi trắng
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

வெள்ளை யானை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

पांढरा हत्ती
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Beyaz fil
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

cattedrale nel deserto
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

white Elephant
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

білий слон
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

elefant alb
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

λευκό ελέφαντα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

wit olifant
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

vit elefant
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

hvit elefant
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of white elephant

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WHITE ELEPHANT»

The term «white elephant» is regularly used and occupies the 60.703 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
72
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «white elephant» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of white elephant
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «white elephant».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WHITE ELEPHANT» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «white elephant» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «white elephant» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about white elephant

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WHITE ELEPHANT»

Discover the use of white elephant in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to white elephant and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Stolen White Elephant (Webster's German Thesaurus Edition)
Webster's edition of this classic is organized to expose the reader to a maximum number of difficult and potentially ambiguous English words.
Mark Twain, 2009
2
The mystery of the white elephant
When Timothy and his cousins go to the church swap meet, they discover a thief has stolen the white elephant they plan to buy, and it's up to them to find the culprit.
Elspeth Campbell Murphy, 1994
3
The Stolen White Elephant, Etc.
We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
Mark Twain, 2012
4
Ndlovu - The White Elephant
Peter Good. fire, he put some water into his tin mug, and crushed the beans into this. Once it had boiled, he supped quietly on his coffee and arranged for the posting of a 'watch' arranging relief, and then settled down to sleep. It was the first  ...
Peter Good, 2011
5
The White Elephant
With emerging talent Christopher Steininger, Damon Hurd presents a play staged on paper.
Damon Hurd, Christopher Steininger, 2004
6
Tales from the White Elephant Saloon
Clint Adams gets involved, when unscrupulous private detective and extortionish Jim Courtright tries to make his buddy, Luke Short, the owner of the White Elephant Saloon, pay for protection. Original.
J. R. Roberts, 2002
7
Reflections on a white elephant
Reflections On The White Elephant Is A Unique Novel By Mulk Raj Anand Which Shows Militant Hindutva On The Offensive Against Exalted Faith Of Sri Aurobindo.
Mulk Raj Anand, 2002
8
THE STOLEN WHITE ELEPHANT:
"Lord of the White Elephant" and the third monarch of the Konbaung dynasty). White elephants arelinkedtoHindu cosmology, the mount ofIndra, kingof theVedic deities is Airavata, a white elephant. White elephants are also intricately linked to  ...
Mark Twain
9
The Short Works of Mark Twain: A Critical Study
"The Stolen White Elephant" The Elephant is the most largest Annymile in the whole world. He eats hay and kakes. You must not giv the Elephant Tobacker, becoz if you do he will stamp his grate big feet upon to you and kill you fatally Ded.
Peter B. Messent, 2001
10
Boonmee and the lucky white elephant
After waiting all year to make a special wish for himself at the Loy Kathong festival, a ten-year-old Thai boy finds himself wishing instead for the welfare of a trapped white elephant.
Jane Hamilton-Merritt, 1972

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WHITE ELEPHANT»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term white elephant is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Fayose won't execute white elephant projects – Ekiti Government
The Ekiti State Government has said that the State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose will not spend the State's scarce resources on execution of white elephant ... «DailyPost Nigeria, Jul 15»
2
Tennis Centre is a white elephant, says Andy Murray's former coach
"I felt unfortunately that it was always going to be a white elephant and it's proved to be. For me it was the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle, not the first piece. «BBC Sport, Jun 15»
3
Parramatta light rail: Sydney Olympic Park tram would be a 'white
A light rail route linking Parramatta and Strathfield via Sydney Olympic Park would be a "white elephant" passing through "wastelands", according to ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Jun 15»
4
Troubled new Berlin airport won't be a white elephant, official says
BERLIN May 24 Berlin's new international airport, repeatedly delayed due to red tape and technical problems, is on course to open as scheduled in 2017, ... «Reuters, May 15»
5
Former UK Defense Chief Slams F-35 as 'White Elephant'
The United Kingdom's former defense chief is using some colorful language to criticize the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Nick Harvey, who served as armed forces ... «DoD Buzz, May 15»
6
New US fighter jet on course to becoming 'one of history's biggest …
Asked if the fighter had become a white elephant, he replied: “You could argue it was already one of the biggest white elephants in history a long time ago.”. «The Independent, May 15»
7
Does a circus without elephants have a future?
When Barnum announced he was going to bring a white elephant back from Asia, a competitor whitewashed his own elephant and engaged in a media war. «CNN, Mar 15»
8
What's so special about a white elephant?
The expression “white elephant” refers to a gift, typically cumbersome and large in size, that is difficult to dispose of and exorbitantly expensive to maintain. Like ... «Quartz, Mar 15»
9
Rare white elephant discovered in Myanmar
Officials in Myanmar reported on Sunday that they have located and captured a rare white elephant in the jungles of the western Ayeyarwaddy region, making it ... «RedOrbit, Mar 15»
10
Oakland: White Elephant Sale returns for 56th year
Hundreds of people find deals during the annual White Elephant Sale at a 96,000 square-foot warehouse in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, March 1, 2014. It is the ... «Contra Costa Times, Jan 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. White elephant [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/white-elephant>. May 2024 ».
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