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View synonyms for hippopotamus

hippopotamus

[ hip-uh-pot-uh-muhs ]

noun

, plural hip·po·pot·a·mus·es, hip·po·pot·a·mi [hip-, uh, -, pot, -, uh, -mahy].
  1. 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.


hippopotamus

/ ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəməs /

noun

  1. 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
  2. pigmy hippopotamus
    a related but smaller animal, Choeropsis liberiensis


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Other Words From

  • hip·po·po·tam·ic [hip-, uh, -p, uh, -, tam, -ik], hip·po·po·ta·mi·an [hip-, uh, -p, uh, -, tey, -mee-, uh, n], adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of hippopotamus1

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of hippopotamus1

C16: from Latin, from Greek hippopotamos river horse, from hippos horse + potamos river

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Example Sentences

This article is excerpted from American Hippopotamus, a recent single from The Atavist.

Pygmy hippos are a distinct sub-species to their larger cousins the common hippopotamus.

I'm not the hippopotamus I think I am when I'm comparing myself to Blake Lively.

It was a hippopotamus which had been standing on the river-brink within six yards of the muzzle of his gun.

He aimed at the yawning hippopotamus and fired, hitting it on the skull, but at such an angle that the ball glanced off.

He was as successful as he was brave, and he had the great good luck to meet a tiger, a young hippopotamus, and a boa constrictor.

It was voted by acclamation, that Hippopotamus was agreeable to the company.

Let's play I'm a hippopotamus, and you're a little yellow chicken, and I'm trying to catch you and eat you up.

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hippophileHippo Regius