Gnu

7 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Gnu \Gnu\, n. [Hottentot gnu, or nju: cf. F. gnou.] (Zool.)
     One of two species of large South African antelopes of the
     genus {Catoblephas}, having a mane and bushy tail, and curved
     horns in both sexes. [Written also {gnoo}.]
     [1913 Webster]
  


     Note: The common gnu or wildebeest ({Catoblephas gnu}) is
           plain brown; the brindled gnu or blue wildebeest ({C.
           gorgon}) is larger, with transverse stripes of black on
           the neck and shoulders.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  gnu
       n : large African antelope having a head with horns like an ox
           and a long tufted tail [syn: {wildebeest}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  33 Moby Thesaurus words for "gnu":
     Cape elk, Virginia deer, antelope, buck, camel, camelopard,
     caribou, deer, deerlet, doe, dromedary, eland, elk, fallow deer,
     fawn, gazelle, giraffe, hart, hartebeest, hind, kaama, moose,
     mule deer, musk deer, okapi, red deer, reindeer, roe, roe deer,
     roebuck, springbok, stag, wildebeest
  
  

From Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (Version 1.9, June 2002) [vera]:

  GNU
       GNU's Not Unix (rekursiv!, Unix, GNU, OS)
       
       

From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:

  GNU /gnoo/, _not_ /noo/ 1. [acronym: `GNU's Not Unix!', see {{recursive
     acronym}}] A Unix-workalike development effort of the Free Software
     Foundation headed by Richard Stallman <>. GNU EMACS and the
     GNU C compiler, two tools designed for this project, have become very
     popular in hackerdom and elsewhere. The GNU project was designed partly
     to proselytize for RMS's position that information is community property
     and all software source should be shared. One of its slogans is "Help
     stamp out software hoarding!" Though this remains controversial (because
     it implicitly denies any right of designers to own, assign, and sell the
     results of their labors), many hackers who disagree with RMS have
     nevertheless cooperated to produce large amounts of high-quality
     software for free redistribution under the Free Software Foundation's
     imprimatur. The GNU project has a web page at `http://www.gnu.org'. See
     {EMACS}, {copyleft}, {General Public Virus}, {Linux}. 2. Noted Unix
     hacker John Gilmore <>, founder of Usenet's anarchic alt.*
     hierarchy.
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  GNU
       
           /g*noo/ 1. A {recursive acronym}:
          "GNU's Not Unix!".  The {Free Software Foundation}'s project
          to provide a freely distributable replacement for {Unix}.  The
          GNU Manifesto was published in the March 1985 issue of
          Dr. Dobb's Journal but the GNU project started a year and a
          half earlier when {Richard Stallman} was trying to get funding
          to work on his freely distributable editor, {Emacs}.
       
          {Emacs} and the GNU {C} compiler, {gcc}, two tools designed
          for this project, have become very popular.  GNU software is
          available from many {GNU archive site}s.
       
          See also {Hurd}.
       
          2.  {John Gilmore}.
       
          [{Jargon File}]
       
          (1997-04-12)
       
       

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  GNU, n.  An animal of South Africa, which in its domesticated state
  resembles a horse, a buffalo and a stag.  In its wild condition it is
  something like a thunderbolt, an earthquake and a cyclone.
  
      A hunter from Kew caught a distant view
          Of a peacefully meditative gnu,
      And he said:  "I'll pursue, and my hands imbrue
          In its blood at a closer interview."
      But that beast did ensue and the hunter it threw
          O'er the top of a palm that adjacent grew;
      And he said as he flew:  "It is well I withdrew
          Ere, losing my temper, I wickedly slew
          That really meritorious gnu."
                                                             Jarn Leffer