Illustration of onager
- onager 2
1
: an Asian wild ass (Equus hemionus synonym E. h. onager) that usually has a broad dorsal stripe and is related to the kiang
2
[Late Latin, from Latin]
: a heavy catapult used in ancient and medieval times
Examples of onager in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The sea was an intense blue as were the explosions from the fiery cannonballs lobbed by the Roman onagers.
—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes,
20 Nov. 2024
Now, analysis of DNA extracted from the bones buried at Umm el-Marra has revealed the animal was a cross between a donkey, which was domesticated at the time, and the now-extinct Syrian wild ass, sometimes called hemippe or an onager.
—
Katie Hunt,
CNN,
14 Jan. 2022
Researchers have uncovered thousands of bone fragments at the site, including remains from horses, extinct wild oxen known as aurochs, and donkey relatives called onagers.
—
Maya Wei-Haas,
National Geographic,
24 July 2019
The two of them once passed two very happy weekends of courtship in attempts to reconstruct an ancient catapult called an onager.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
WIRED,
18 June 2018
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Benny Har-Even,
Forbes,
20 Nov. 2024
Now, analysis of DNA extracted from the bones buried at Umm el-Marra has revealed the animal was a cross between a donkey, which was domesticated at the time, and the now-extinct Syrian wild ass, sometimes called hemippe or an onager.
—
Katie Hunt,
CNN,
14 Jan. 2022
Researchers have uncovered thousands of bone fragments at the site, including remains from horses, extinct wild oxen known as aurochs, and donkey relatives called onagers.
—
Maya Wei-Haas,
National Geographic,
24 July 2019
The two of them once passed two very happy weekends of courtship in attempts to reconstruct an ancient catapult called an onager.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
WIRED,
18 June 2018
Cite this Entry
“Onager.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onager. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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