Hippopotamos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The large, mostly herbivorous mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa, known for its massive size and barrel-shaped body
2. A semi-aquatic creature that spends much of its time in water, emerging to graze on grass
3. This animal is recognized for its large mouth and tusks, as well as its social behavior in groups called pods

Etymology: The Greek compound "hippopotamos" literally meant "river horse," from "hippos," horse, and "potamos," river. The name was an apt one: the animal spends its days submerged in African rivers and lakes, so Greek speakers saw a horse-like creature at home in the water. The word has the same "horse" element as "hippodrome" and "hippocampus," which is why the animal's name looks like a relative of those words. English took the word from Latin, where it appeared as "hippopotamus," and first recorded it in the 1560s. It displaced two older English names: "nicker," a native Old English word, and "river horse," a plain translation of the Greek. The Greek form survives mainly as an archaic variant, and it is the one that keeps the animal's original description visible.

Synonyms: hippopotamus, hippo