hippopotamus

noun

hip·​po·​pot·​a·​mus ˌhi-pə-ˈpä-tə-məs 

plural hippopotamuses or hippopotami ˌhi-pə-ˈpä-tə-ˌmī 

-(ˌ)mē

: any of a family (Hippopotamidae) of very large, four-toed, chiefly aquatic, herbivorous artiodactyl mammals having a very large head and mouth, nearly hairless thick grayish skin, long lower canine teeth, and relatively short legs, and including two living species:

a

: one (Hippopotamus amphibius) of sub-Saharan Africa that has webbing between the toes, spends most of the day in or near water, and typically weighs between 3 to 4 tons (2700 to 3600 kilograms)

b

: pygmy hippopotamus

Illustration of hippopotamus

Examples of hippopotamus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dozens of hippopotamuses died as a result of anthrax poisoning at the oldest national park in Africa. —Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025

Among them were life-sized balloon replicas of horses, elephants, giraffes, hippopotamuses and cheetahs. —Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025

Most of the tools were made from the bones of elephants, hippopotamuses and bovids. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Mar. 2025

Lisa Manders was killed in a hippopotamus attack during this trip while on a safari with her husband and died on June 5. —CBS News, 13 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek hippopotamos, alteration of hippos potamios, literally, riverine horse

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hippopotamus

• pygmy hippopotamus

Rhymes for hippopotamus

• dichotomous

Kids Definition

hippopotamus

noun

hip·​po·​pot·​a·​mus ˌhip-ə-ˈpät-ə-məs 

plural hippopotamuses or hippopotami -ˌmī 

-(ˌ)mē

: a very large mammal of Africa south of the Sahara Desert that spends most of its time in the water, feeds on plants, has an extremely large head and mouth, very thick hairless grayish skin, and short legs with four toes on each foot

also : a smaller related mammal of western Africa

Etymology

from Latin hippopotamus "hippopotamus," from Greek hippopotamos (same meaning), literally, "river horse," from hippos "horse" and potamos "river"

Word Origin

The ancient Greeks gave the name hippopotamos to a big, barrel-shaped animal they saw in Africa. English, using the Latin spelling hippopotamus, has kept this name. It is a combination of the Greek words hippos, meaning "horse" and potamos, meaning "river." In fact, the hippopotamus is more closely related to the hog than to the horse. However, the "river" in the name is certainly right for an animal that always lives near water and spends most of its time in it. The eyes, ears, and nostrils of a hippopotamus are placed so that the animal can see, hear, and breathe even if most of its head is underwater.