rhinoceros

noun, plural rhi·noc·er·os·es ( especially collectively ) rhi·noc·er·os.

any of several large, thick-skinned, perissodactyl mammals of the family Rhinocerotidae, of Africa and India, having one or two upright horns on the snout: all rhinoceroses are endangered.

Douay Bible. unicorn ( def 4 ).

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English rinoceros < Late Latin rhīnoceros < Greek rhīnókerōs, equivalent to rhīno- rhino- + -kerōs -horned, adj. derivative of kéras horn (of an animal)

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

rhinoceros (raɪˈnɒsərəs, -ˈnɒsrəs)

—n , pl -oses, -os
	any of several perissodactyl mammals constituting the family Rhinocerotidae of SE Asia and Africa and having either one horn on the nose, like the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), or two horns, like the African white rhinoceros (Diceros simus) They have a very thick skin, massive body, and three digits on each foot

[C13: via Latin from Greek rhinokerōs, from rhis nose + keras horn]

rhinocerotic

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10

Rhinoceros is always a great word to know.

So is bezoar. Does it mean:

a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

rhinoceros

c.1300, from L. rhinoceros, from Gk. rhinokeros, from rhinos "nose" (a word of unknown origin) + keras "horn." Shortened form rhino is first attested 1884.

"What is the plural of rhinoceros? ... Well, Liddell and Scott seem to authorize 'rhinocerotes,' which is pedantic, but 'rhinoceroses' is not euphonious." [Sir Charles Eliot, "The East Africa Protectorate," 1905]

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences from the web

As blue beet, his armor was modeled after a rhinoceros beetle.

It is closely related to the horse and is also kin to the rhinoceros.

This means that they share a common ancestry with tapirs and rhinoceros.

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Matching Quote

"Farewell, farewell, you old rhinoceros,
I'll stare at something less prepoceros."

-Ogden Nash

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