pachyderm

[ pak-i-durm ]

/ ˈpæk ɪˌdɜrm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pachyderm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of the thick-skinned, nonruminant ungulates, as the elephant, hippopotamus, and rhinoceros.

an elephant.

a person who is not sensitive to criticism, ridicule, etc.; a thick-skinned person.

Nearby words

Origin of pachyderm

1830–40; < New Latin Pachyderma, assumed singular of Pachydermata (plural) obsolete order name < Greek pachý(s) thick + -dérmata, neuter plural of -dermatos -skinned, adj. derivative of dermat-, stem of dérma skin, derma¹

Related formspach·y·der·mal, pach·y·der·mous, pach·y·der·mic, pach·y·der·moid, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pachyderm

"He needn't be, perched on the top of the pachyderm," answered Scott.
Across India|Oliver Optic
The words ought to have scorched him, pachyderm though he was.
T. Tembarom|Frances Hodgson Burnett
It is true there was much reason in his holding to the opinion that the hyrax is no pachyderm.
The Young Yagers|Mayne Reid
She's a pachyderm and she's a pig; and, if she keeps on, she'll drag her husband to her level.
The Brentons|Anna Chapin Ray

All of them had heard that an ordinary leaden bullet will not penetrate the tough thick skin of the great “pachyderm.”
The Bush Boys|Captain Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for pachyderm

pachyderm

/ (ˈpækɪˌdɜːm) /

noun

any very large thick-skinned mammal, such as an elephant, rhinoceros, or hippopotamus

Derived Formspachydermatous, adjective

Word Origin for pachyderm

C19: from French pachyderme, from Greek pakhudermos thick-skinned, from pakhus thick + derma skin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pachyderm

pachyderm

1838, from French pachyderme (c.1600), adopted as a biological term 1797 by French naturalist Georges Léopole Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert, Baron Cuvier (1769-1832), from Greek pachydermos "thick-skinned," from pachys "thick, large, massive," from PIE *bhengh- "thick, fat" (cf. Sanskrit bahu- "much, numerous" Avestan bazah- "height, depth," Hittite pankush "large," Old Norse bingr "heap," Old High German bungo "a bulb," Lithuanian biess "thick") + derma "skin" (see derma).