Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

ĕlĕphantus, i, and ĕlĕphās, antis (rarely ĕlĕphans, antis, Plin. 8, 1, 1, § 1; Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 196; of the second form the

  1. I. nom. sing., and of the first the oblique cases are most freq.), m. (fem., Plaut. Stich. 1, 3, 14), = ἐλέφας, an elephant.
    Form elephantus, Plaut. Mil. 1, 1, 25; 30; id. Stich. 1, 3, 14; Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 23; Cic. N. D. 1, 35; 2, 47 fin.; id. de Sen. 9, 27; Liv. 44, 41; Plin. 6, 19, 22, § 66 et saep. Its tough hide suggests the expression: elephanti corio circumtentus, i. e. thickheaded, stupid, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 80.
    Form elephas, Mart. Spect. 17, 1; Luc. 6, 208; 9, 732; acc. elephantem, Sen. Ep. 85, 41; Gr. acc. elephanta, Manil. 5, 706; Mart. Spect. 19, 4; acc. plur. elephantas, Manil. 4, 667; 740.
  2. II. Transf., like the Gr. ἐλέφας.
    1. A. Form elephantus, ivory, Verg. G. 3, 26; id. A. 3, 464; 6, 896.
    2. B. Form elephas, the elephantiasis, Lucr. 6, 1114; Seren. Samm. 10.
    3. C. Form elephantus, a sea-fish, Plin. 9, 5, 4, § 10; 32, 11, 53, § 144; 148.