River horse

Common synonyms include: elephant, hippo, hippopotami, hippopotamus, hippopotamus amphibius, hippopotamuses.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
Hippopotamus. dated, uncommon
"The river-horse feeds upon the herbage of the Nile, and the behemoth is said to eat grass like an ox."
2
massive thick-skinned herbivorous animal living in or around rivers of tropical Africa wordnet

"The river-horse feeds upon the herbage of the Nile, and the behemoth is said to eat grass like an ox."

Calque of Ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos). Compare Middle English water hors (“hippopotamus”). By surface analysis, river + horse.