hippopotamus
[ hip-uh-pot-uh-muh s ]
/ ˌhɪp əˈpɒt ə məs /
noun, plural hip·po·pot·a·mus·es, hip·po·pot·a·mi [hip-uh-pot-uh-mahy] /ˌhɪp əˈpɒt əˌmaɪ/.
a large herbivorous mammal, Hippopotamus amphibius, having a thick hairless body, short legs, and a large head and muzzle, found in and near the rivers, lakes, etc., of Africa, and able to remain under water for a considerable time.
Origin of hippopotamus
1555–65; < Latin < Greek
hippopótamos, earlier
híppos potámios literally, riverine horse (term used by Herodotus in his account of the Egyptian hippopotamus); compare Middle English
ypotame, ypotamos, ypotanus < Old French
ypotame < Medieval Latin
ypotamus
OTHER WORDS FROM hippopotamus
hip·po·po·tam·ic [hip-uh-puh-tam-ik] /ˌhɪp ə pəˈtæm ɪk/, hip·po·po·ta·mi·an [hip-uh-puh-tey-mee-uh n] /ˌhɪp ə pəˈteɪ mi ən/, adjectiveWords nearby hippopotamus
hippolytus,
hippomenes,
hippophagist,
hippophagy,
hippophile,
hippopotamus,
hippuric acid,
hippus,
hippy,
hipshot,
hipster
Example sentences from the Web for hippopotamus
British Dictionary definitions for hippopotamus
hippopotamus
/ (ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəməs) /
noun plural -muses or -mi (-ˌmaɪ)
a very large massive gregarious artiodactyl mammal, Hippopotamus amphibius, living in or around the rivers of tropical Africa: family Hippopotamidae. It has short legs and a thick skin sparsely covered with hair
pigmy hippopotamus
a related but smaller animal, Choeropsis liberiensis
Word Origin for hippopotamus
C16: from Latin, from Greek
hippopotamos river horse, from
hippos horse +
potamos river