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hippopotamus
[ hip-uh-pot-uh-muhs ]
noun
- 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
- 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
- pigmy hippopotamusa related but smaller animal, Choeropsis liberiensis
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
Word History and Origins
Origin of hippopotamus1
Word History and Origins
Origin of hippopotamus1
Example Sentences
In the case of the hippopotamus, they cut channels through the mud to navigate between precious water and food sources.
Similar trampling features can be seen today around Australian billabongs, or waterholes in Africa where the largest plant-eaters, such as elephants and hippopotamuses, trample mud into a hard layer.
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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What Is The Plural Of Hippopotamus?
Plural word for hippopotamus
The plural form of hippopotamus can be either hippopotamuses or hippopotami. Hippopotamuses is more widely used. The plurals of several other singular words ending in -us are also formed this way, such as virus/viruses, sinus/sinuses, and walrus/walruses.
Irregular plurals that are formed like hippopotami, such as cactus/cacti and fungus/fungi, derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin. However, the standard English plural -es ending is often also acceptable for these terms, as in cactuses.
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