ˈElephant ˌMan, the BrE AmE
(1862–90), a name given to an Englishman called Joseph Merrick because he was seriously ↑ deform ed by illness. Merrick appeared in ↑ freak shows, where he was found by a doctor Sir Frederick Treves, in 1886. The British actor John Hurt played the part of Merrick in a film about him in 1980.