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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

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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- )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rhino rhino- rhinos

AFP reviewed examples offering everything from chimpanzees intended as pets to rhino horn for traditional medicine and pangolins for consumption.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

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

"It's from something bigger than a cow, from a mammoth, Irish elk and aurochs to more unusual stuff like wild horse or rhino," he told the BBC.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

Maggie Kelly was tiny, but she walked with the thunder of a rhino.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2020

He has used giraffes, hippos, rhinos, camels and zebras, and now has both bisons and elephants at the Great Moscow Circus, which opened during the Soviet era.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

It could also be an amynodon, or “swamp rhino,” a member of an extinct family of of large-bodied herbivores that are distantly related to rhinos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Founded in 1977, the Sheldrick Wildlife is renowned for its care of orphaned elephants and rhinos, rescuing and reintegrating them into the wild.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

The discovery prompted researchers to take a deeper look at the evolutionary history and geographic spread of rhinos.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 24, 2026

The two Indian rhinos were great attractions at the zoo because of the goats.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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