rhinoceros

American  

[rahy-nos-er-uhs] / raɪˈnɒs ər əs /

noun

plural

rhinoceroses,

plural

rhinoceros

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.

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rhinoceros British  

/ ˌraɪnəʊsɪˈrɒtɪk, raɪˈnɒsərəs, -ˈnɒsrəs /

noun

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

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Usage

Plural word for rhinoceros The plural form of rhinoceros is rhinoceroses. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -s are also formed in this way, such as pass/passes, lotus/lotuses, and dress/dresses. In some words derived from Latin that end in -us, the irregular plural ending -i is used, as in fungus/fungi and cactus/cacti. Sometimes, for humorous effect or as an overcorrection, people apply the same kind of ending to rhinoceros (because it sounds like it ends in -us), as in rhinoceri. However, this is not a valid plural form of rhinoceros.

Other Word Forms

• rhinocerotic adjective

Etymology

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)

Example Sentences

The research also introduces a revised rhinoceros family tree and suggests that this Arctic species reached North America via a land bridge.

From Science Daily • Mar. 24, 2026

Airport authorities and police seized six pieces of rhinoceros horn and around 12 kilograms of unidentified meat used to conceal them inside a polystyrene icebox.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

A rhinoceros is so massive that if it falls asleep on its legs, blood flow could be cut off, leading to circulatory problems and significant injury.

From Salon • Jun. 16, 2025

Most scientists believed the woolly rhinoceros succumbed to a warming climate at the end of the Pleistocene era about 12,000 years ago.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 2, 2024

Steven had been reading an article about some new animals being added to the Brookfield Zoo, and now he was arguing with Alan about which was more dangerous: a lion or a black rhinoceros.

From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements