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rhinoceros

[ rahy-nos-er-uh s ]
/ raɪˈnɒs ər əs /
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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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RELATED WORDS

mammoth, elephant, hippopotamus, mastodon, hog, horse, cow, pig, swine, cattle, tapir, camel, deer, giraffe, llama, buffalo

Nearby words

rhino-, rhinoantritis, rhinocanthectomy, rhinocele, rhinocephaly, rhinoceros, rhinoceros beetle, rhinoceros bird, rhinocheiloplasty, rhinocladiella, rhinocleisis

Origin of rhinoceros

1300–50; Middle English rinoceros < Late Latin rhīnoceros < Greek rhīnókerōs, equivalent to rhīno- rhino- + -kerōs -horned, adj. derivative of kéras horn (of an animal)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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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 Formsrhinocerotic (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

Word Origin and History for rhinoceros

rhinoceros

n.

c.1300, from Latin rhinoceros, from Greek rhinokeros, literally "nose-horned," from rhinos "nose" (a word of unknown origin) + keras "horn" (see kerato-). Related: Rhinocerotic.

What is the plural of rhinoceros? ... Well, Liddell and Scott seem to authorize 'rhinocerotes,' which is pedantic, but 'rhinoceroses' is not euphonious. [Sir Charles Eliot, "The East Africa Protectorate," 1905]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper