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
   pigmy hippopotamus a 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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hippopotamus¹

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

Example Sentences

In the case of the hippopotamus, they cut channels through the mud to navigate between precious water and food sources.

From The Daily Beast

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.

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

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.