Hippopotamus
//ˌhɪp.əˈpɑ.tə.məs// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A semi-aquatic, herbivorous, African hoofed mammal of the family Hippopotamidae.
- 2 massive thick-skinned herbivorous animal living in or around rivers of tropical Africa wordnet
- 3 The common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
"These were the first hippopotami that we had ever seen, and, to judge by their insatiable curiosity, I should judge that we were the first white men that they had ever seen."
Example
More examples"Tom told Mary that he thought a hippopotamus could run at a speed of about 30 kilometers per hour."
Etymology
From Latin and New Latin hippopotamus, from Ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos), from ἵππος (híppos, “horse”) (English hippo-) + ποταμός (potamós, “river”). Displaced nicker, from Old English nicor.
Related phrases
More for "hippopotamus"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.