rhinoceros

American  

[rahy-nos-er-uhs] / raɪˈnɒs ər əs /

noun

rhinoceroses, plural rhinoceros plural

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

Derived Forms

• rhinocerotic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rhinoceros
  plural
• rhinoceroses
  plural

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)

Explanation

With its massive size, thick skin, and horned snout, the rhinoceros may look like a fearsome creature from a prehistoric world, but this powerful pachyderm is actually a herbivore found in Southeast Asia and Africa. Despite their tough and intimidating appearance, the diet of a rhinoceros consists primarily of grasses, leaves, and shoots rather than smaller animals. Sadly, the rhinoceros is an endangered animal due to illegal hunting and habitat loss. The rhinoceros plays a crucial role in its environment, contributing to the ecosystem by helping to shape the landscape with its grazing and promoting biodiversity with its presence.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rhinoceros rhinoceroses

In U.S. television, there’s a tendency to open every piece of sports programming with a clash of cymbals and a rhinoceros jumping through a flaming hoop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

“It’s also given me the skin of a rhinoceros, which comes in handy when you’re the CEO of Apple,” he wrote in the essay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

"I've got three favourites, the rhinoceros, tigers and red pandas," he said.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 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

You want to keep going until the animal that is your bur­den—your tiger, your rhinoceros, whatever—is properly green about the gills with seasickness.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Fossil evidence also revealed that these warm-adapted hippos lived alongside cold-climate animals such as mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses -- an unusual ecological mix that highlights the complexity of Ice Age environments.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2025

Indeed, not only is there enough diversity to allow rhinoceroses to be reproduced through cloning, but the samples from northern white rhinoceroses are actually more diverse than those of the southern white rhinoceroses.

From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2024

Yes, Neandertal women were spearing woolly rhinoceroses, and Neandertal men were making clothing.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 17, 2023

Titanotheres belong in the order Perissodactyla, along with rhinoceroses, tapirs and horses.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023

I’m going to be a veterinarian and operate on the biggest animals on the planet—elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, hippopotamuses.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García