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• rhino
  rhino

  noun

  a rhinoceros.
• rhino-
  rhino-

  a combining form meaning “nose,” used in the formation of compound words.

rhino

¹ American  

[rahy-noh] / ˈraɪ noʊ /

noun

rhinos, plural rhino plural

1. a rhinoceros.

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rhino ² American  

[rahy-noh] / ˈraɪ noʊ /

noun

Chiefly British Slang.

1. money; cash.

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rhino- ³ American  

1. a combining form meaning “nose,” used in the formation of compound words.

   rhinology.

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rhino ¹ British  

/ ˈraɪnəʊ /

noun

1. short for rhinoceros

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rhino ² British  

/ ˈraɪnəʊ /

noun

1. a slang word for money

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rhino- ³ British  

combining form

1. indicating the nose or nasal

   rhinology

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Usage

What does rhino- mean? Rhino- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “nose.” It is often used in medical terms. Rhino- comes from the Greek rhī́s, meaning “nose.”What are variants of rhino-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, rhino- becomes rhin-, as in rhinal.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• rhino
  plural
• rhinos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rhino¹

First recorded in 1880–85; by shortening

Origin of rhino²

First recorded in 1680–90; origin uncertain

Origin of rhino-³

< Greek rhīno-, combining form of rhī́s (stem rhīn- )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rhino rhino- rhinos

I felt for that goalie, put in soccer’s most frightening position: facing down big-bodied Erling Haaland, charging like a caffeinated rhino.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

Relationships with a seal, an elephant and a rhino, for example — obsessive, protective, loving friendships — all seemed to end if not in outright tragedy, then in shattering heartbreak.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

"The addition of this Arctic species to the rhino family tree now offers new insights to our understanding of their evolutionary history."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 24, 2026

During that period of turmoil, hunters slaughtered every rhino in Kidepo and across Uganda's other national parks, which had once supported around 700 of the massive animals, the Reuters news agency reports.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

He'd swapped his old, flabby shape for that of a lion the size of a rhino, fangs the length of cutlasses, and claws that could tear through tanks as if they were tin.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

For slumbering felines, Prevue Pet built rhino- and dinosaur-shaped ottomans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2020

Wood said he got involved with Tusk because he wanted his "kids and other people's children to be able to see animals such as rhinos, lions, tigers".

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

Using mathematical models, the team estimated how often rhinos moved between continents within the Rhinocerotidae family.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 24, 2026

Their findings suggest that rhinos migrated between North America and Europe through Greenland using the North Atlantic Land Bridge.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 24, 2026

Environment minister Willie Aucamp has proposed reintroducing limited hunting trophy export quotas for black rhinos, elephants and leopards after a four-year freeze that has frustrated hunters and wildlife ranchers.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

I mean, if I were a photographer, I’d be on safari somewhere, perched on top of a jeep and shooting rhinos for National Geographic.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina