Rhinocerotidae

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family of large, thick-skinned mammals known for their horned snouts and herbivorous diet, primarily including species like the white and black rhino
2. A diverse group of massive ungulates characterized by two horns on their snouts and a robust body, representing the largest land mammals in their habitats
3. A taxonomic family of large herbivorous animals recognized for their distinctive horns and skin, encompassing various species native to Africa and Asia

Etymology: Its name is literally "nose-horn." The Greek "rhinokerōs" joins "rhis," meaning nose, and "keras," meaning horn, describing the animal's most conspicuous feature, the horn sitting on its snout. Latin adopted the Greek compound as "rhinoceros," and English took it from there. The family name is a much later construction. Taxonomists build names for animal families by taking the stem of a type genus and adding the suffix "-idae." That suffix comes from the Greek patronymic ending "-idēs," meaning "son of" or "descendant of." Here the type genus is Rhinoceros, so the family is named after it. Ancient Greeks had no such family category. The classification is a modern scientific coinage made from their vocabulary.

Synonyms: rhinoceros family