An alternative spelling of gemsbok; a large pale-colored African antelope with distinctive long straight horns.
From Dutch 'gemsbuck,' the original spelling in 17th-century Dutch colonial writings. 'Gemsbuck' and 'gemsbok' both derive from Dutch/Afrikaans and entered English with variations depending on phonetic preferences.
Early European hunters were fascinated by gemsbuck horns, which inspired the 'unicorn' legend—artists may have crafted the mythical unicorn's horn from a single gemsbok horn viewed from one angle, blending African reality with European imagination.
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