Rhinocerotic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to or resembling a large, thick-skinned herbivorous mammal with one or two horns on its snout; characteristic of or pertaining to rhinoceroses in appearance or behavior; exhibiting features typical of this species
2. Connected with a massive animal known for its armored hide and prominent horns on the nose; descriptive of traits or qualities reminiscent of that creature; associated with the physicality or nature of rhinoceroses
3. Pertaining to a robust, horned mammal notable for its tough skin and bulky form; indicating similarities to rhinoceroses either in form or essence; linked to the zoological genus identified by these characteristics

Etymology: The ancient Greeks called the animal "rhinokerōs," combining "rhis," meaning nose, with "keras," meaning horn. The name describes the creature's most striking feature, the horn set on its snout. It reached English through Latin, and English speakers spelled the animal's name in several ways before the modern form became standard. This adjective is a straightforward derivation. It takes the stem of the animal's scientific name, "rhinocerot-", and adds the suffix "-ic," which forms adjectives meaning "of or like" something. The result describes anything that resembles a rhinoceros in its bulk, its thick, tough skin, or its heavy, armored bearing. Because it was built from a scientific name, it belongs more to naturalists' and writers' vocabulary than to everyday speech.

Synonyms: rhinoceros-like, rhinocerous