rhinoceros

[ rahy-nos-er-uhs ]

noun

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

1. 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.
2. Douay Bible. unicorn ( def 4 ).

rhinoceros

/ ˌraɪnəʊsɪˈrɒtɪk; raɪˈnɒsərəs; -ˈnɒsrəs /

noun

1. 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

Derived Forms

• rhinocerotic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhinoceros¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhinoceros¹

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

Example Sentences

Astonishingly, bats turn out to be more closely related to cows, horses, and even rhinoceroses than they are to us.

From Singularity Hub 

Thundering across Europe and Asia, some 30 million years ago, it looked a bit like a cross between a giant rhinoceros and a huge horse.

From Science News For Students

Research has indicated that some mammals — such as rhinoceroses, lemurs and dolphins — might accumulate iron, which can be toxic in larger quantities.

From No Straight News

The narrator agrees to find someone new to search for and settles on a rhinoceros named Jane.

From Time

Neanderthals were skilled, versatile hunters, exploiting everything from rabbits to rhinoceroses and woolly mammoths.

From Singularity Hub 

It surpasses the paintings of horses and rhinoceros from the Chauvet Cave in France by 400 years.

From The Daily Beast

South Africa is the most dangerous place in the world to be a rhinoceros.

From The Daily Beast

This left them, in the end, with “rhinoceros” and “anthropoid.”

From The Daily Beast

In and among the rest he inserted the words “rhinoceros” and “anthropoid.”

From The Daily Beast

The rhinoceros, again looking pretty aimless and beaten down, was made—beautifully—of papier mache.

From The Daily Beast

Even the gruff, grumpy, unsociable rhinoceros amiably allowed him to stroke its head with his trunk.

From Project Gutenberg

Among other things, the rhinoceros was knocked so heavily against the bars of his crib that they began to give way.

From Project Gutenberg

If this passenger was easy-going and polite, the rhinoceros, which came next, was very much the reverse.

From Project Gutenberg

That minute a tall tree fell in front of us and the raging rhinoceros went by.

From Project Gutenberg

After they had passed, a lull fell on the scene, which was soon broken by the grunt and snort of a rhinoceros.

From Project Gutenberg

What Is The Plural Of Rhinoceros?

Plural word for rhinoceros

The plural form of rhinoceros is rhinoceroses. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -s are also formed in this way, such as pass/passes, lotus/lotuses, and dress/dresses. 

In some words derived from Latin that end in -us, the irregular plural ending -i is used, as in fungus/fungi and cactus/cacti. Sometimes, for humorous effect or as an overcorrection, people apply the same kind of ending to rhinoceros (because it sounds like it ends in -us), as in rhinoceri. However, this is not a valid plural form of rhinoceros.