pachyderm
noun
Did you know?
Pachydermos in Greek means literally "having thick skin" (figuratively, it means "dull" or "stupid"). It's from pachys, meaning "thick," and derma, meaning "skin." In the late 1700s, the French naturalist Georges Cuvier adapted the Greek term as pachyderme for any one of a whole assemblage of hoofed animals having thickish skin: elephants, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, tapirs, horses, pigs, and more. English speakers learned the word from French in the early 1800s. The adjective pachydermatous means "of or relating to the pachyderms" or "thickened" (referring to skin). Not too surprisingly, it also means "callous" or "insensitive" (somewhat unfairly especially to elephants, which are actually known to be rather sensitive).
Examples of pachyderm in a Sentence
Ed Stoddard, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2025
The voracious pachyderm finally backed out of the store, a bag of snacks still clasped in his trunk.
—Chelsea Chan, NBC news, 5 June 2025
On Tuesday morning, animal rights activists — who, for years, have fought for the two aging Asian elephants to be removed from the Los Angeles Zoo — were stunned to find the pachyderms’ enclosure empty.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025
Cher met with Pakistan's prime minister, fought her way through red tape, and ultimately succeeding in winning the precious pachyderm his freedom.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pachyderm
Cite this Entry
“Pachyderm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pachyderm. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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pachyderm
noun
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