rhinoceros

[ rahy-nos-er-uhs ]
See synonyms for rhinoceros on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural rhi·noc·er·os·es, (especially collectively) rhi·noc·er·os.
  1. 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.

  2. Douay Bible. unicorn (def. 4).

Origin of rhinoceros

1
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rhinoceros in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rhinoceros

rhinoceros

/ (raɪˈnɒsərəs, -ˈnɒsrəs) /


nounplural -oses or -os
  1. 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

Origin of rhinoceros

1
C13: via Latin from Greek rhinokerōs, from rhis nose + keras horn

Derived forms of rhinoceros

  • rhinocerotic (ˌraɪnəʊsɪˈrɒtɪk), adjective

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