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

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

His latest work follows images that have popped up each morning since 5 August across London of a goat, elephants, monkeys, a wolf, pelicans, a cat, piranhas and a rhinoceros.

From BBC • Aug. 13, 2024

Researchers have discovered sustained hunting by humans prevented the woolly rhinoceros from accessing favourable habitats as Earth warmed following the Last Ice Age.

From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2024

There are one-off reports of the virus infecting a leopard in India and a white rhinoceros in Senegal.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 29, 2024

Every statue wore a tall white cap and every marble nose was tipped with a horn like that of a rhinoceros.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck