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• hippo
  hippo

  noun

  hippopotamus.
• Hippo
  Hippo

  noun

  Hippo Regius.
• hippo-
  hippo-

  a combining form appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “horse” (hippodrome ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (hippology ).

hippo

¹ American  

[hip-oh] / ˈhɪp oʊ /

noun

Informal.

hippos plural

1. hippopotamus.

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Hippo ² American  

[hip-oh] / ˈhɪp oʊ /

noun

1. Hippo Regius.

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hippo- ³ American  

1. a combining form appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “horse” (hippodrome ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (hippology ).

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hippo British  

/ ˈhɪpəʊ /

noun

1. short for hippopotamus

2. an armoured police car

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Etymology

Origin of hippo¹

By shortening

Origin of hippo-³

< Greek: combining form of híppos; cognate with Latin equus, Old Irish ech, Old English eoh, Sanskrit aśvas, Lithuanian ašvà

Explanation

A hippo is a very large African mammal that lives both in and out of the water. Adult hippos can weigh well over 3,000 pounds. Hippos are the third-largest land mammals (after elephants and rhinos), and of the three, they are by far the most aggressive and territorial. These gray, hairless, barrel-shaped animals resemble enormous pigs, but they're more closely related to whales and dolphins. Hippo is shorthand for hippopotamus, a word that derives from the Greek ho hippos potamios, "the horse of the river."

Example Sentences

McDonald’s soon followed, launching in 1979 its Happy Meal, which came with a free circus animal trinket — a lion, elephant, hippo or bear.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

After being rescued, the baby hippo spent its first night at a nursery in the capital Nairobi, being fed on milk and swaddled in a blanket.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Sotheby’s expected its Lalanne hippo copper bar cart to sell for up to $10 million last month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Goat, hippo and duck-shaped hot air balloons floated in clear blue skies over war-ravaged Myanmar this week in a rare opportunity for escapism.

From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025

Jack and I both tried—and failed—to win anything, but we heard Amos won a yellow hippo and gave it to Ximena.

From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio