source: By Stuart Bassil - Flickr: Elephant, CC BY 2.0

noun (plural same or elephants)

1. a heavy plant-eating mammal with a prehensile trunk, long curved ivory tusks, and large ears, native to Africa and southern Asia. It is the largest living land animal.

ゾウ, 象〘では共和党(員)の象徴; → donkey 〙 ｟米｠

2. a size of paper, now standardized at 28 × 23 inches (approximately 711 × 584 mm)

エレファント判〘画用紙の大きさ; 711×584mm〙

a major problem or controversial issue that is obviously present but avoided as a subject for discussion because it is more comfortable to do so.

elephantoid |ˌeləˈfantoid, ˈeləfənˌtoid| adjective

Middle English: from Old French elefant, via Latin from Greek elephas, elephant- ‘ivory, elephant’.