rhinoceros

[ rahy-nos-er-uhs ]

/ raɪˈnɒs ər əs /

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See synonyms for rhinoceros on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural rhi·noc·er·os·es, (especially collectively) rhi·noc·er·os.

any of several large, thick-skinned, perissodactyl mammals of the family Rhinocerotidae, of Africa and India, having one or two upright horns on the snout: all rhinoceroses are endangered.

Douay Bible. unicorn (def. 4).

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Origin of rhinoceros

1300–50; Middle English rinoceros<Late Latin rhīnoceros<Greek rhīnókerōs, equivalent to rhīno-rhino- + -kerōs -horned, adj. derivative of kérashorn (of an animal)

Words nearby rhinoceros

rhino, rhinoantritis, rhinocanthectomy, rhinocele, rhinocephaly, rhinoceros, rhinoceros beetle, rhinoceros bird, rhinocheiloplasty, Rhinocladiella, rhinocleisis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use rhinoceros in a sentence

Neanderthals were skilled, versatile hunters, exploiting everything from rabbits to rhinoceroses and woolly mammoths.
Would We Still See Ourselves as ‘Human’ if Other Hominin Species Hadn’t Gone Extinct?|Nicholas R. Longrich|October 21, 2021|Singularity Hub
It surpasses the paintings of horses and rhinoceros from the Chauvet Cave in France by 400 years.
The Oldest Cave Art May Not Be in Europe|Justin Jones|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
South Africa is the most dangerous place in the world to be a rhinoceros.
South Africa’s Great Rhino Airlift|Nina Strochlic|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This left them, in the end, with “rhinoceros” and “anthropoid.”
Portrait of the Consummate Con Man|John Lardner|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In and among the rest he inserted the words “rhinoceros” and “anthropoid.”
Portrait of the Consummate Con Man|John Lardner|May 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The rhinoceros, again looking pretty aimless and beaten down, was made—beautifully—of papier mache.
How to Catch a Depressed Gorilla, Japanese-Style|Tim Teeman|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even the gruff, grumpy, unsociable rhinoceros amiably allowed him to stroke its head with his trunk.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
Among other things, the rhinoceros was knocked so heavily against the bars of his crib that they began to give way.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
If this passenger was easy-going and polite, the rhinoceros, which came next, was very much the reverse.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
That minute a tall tree fell in front of us and the raging rhinoceros went by.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji
After they had passed, a lull fell on the scene, which was soon broken by the grunt and snort of a rhinoceros.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji

British Dictionary definitions for rhinoceros

rhinoceros

/ (raɪˈnɒsərəs, -ˈnɒsrəs) /

noun plural -oses or -os

any of several perissodactyl mammals constituting the family Rhinocerotidae of SE Asia and Africa and having either one horn on the nose, like the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), or two horns, like the African white rhinoceros (Diceros simus) They have a very thick skin, massive body, and three digits on each foot

Derived forms of rhinoceros

rhinocerotic (ˌraɪnəʊsɪˈrɒtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for rhinoceros

C13: via Latin from Greek rhinokerōs, from rhis nose + keras horn

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

rhinoceros

Origin of rhinoceros

Words nearby rhinoceros

Words related to rhinoceros

How to use rhinoceros in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rhinoceros

Derived forms of rhinoceros

Word Origin for rhinoceros