Definition of rhinoceros
rhinoceroses
alsorhinoceros
or-noceri
\-ˈnä-sə-ˌrī\: any of a family (Rhinocerotidae) of large heavyset herbivorous perissodactyl mammals of Africa and Asia that have one or two upright keratinous horns on the snout and thick gray to brown skin with little hair
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Recent Examples of rhinoceros from the Web
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In the past, North Korean diplomats have been accused of using their diplomatic immunity to smuggle a variety of items, including counterfeit currency and rhinoceros horns.
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A rhinoceros broke free and charged a group of young girls, killing one.
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The Hercules beetles are a species of rhinoceros beetle, which are reared as pets in parts of Asia.
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Moyo, a male black rhinoceros calf born earlier this month, is shown nursing and being cared for by his mother in a video taken behind the scenes at the River’s Edge exhibit at the St. Louis Zoo.
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IN 1515, THE GERMAN artist Albrecht Dürer made a famously bad depiction of a rhinoceros, based on reports of an animal that had been brought to Lisbon.
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Between the zoo's six elephants, five rhinoceroses and three bantengs, the zoo collects more than 2,000 pounds of dung per day.
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Between the zoo's six elephants, five rhinoceroses and three bantengs, the zoo collects more than 2,000 pounds of dung per day.
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Between the zoo's six elephants, five rhinoceroses and three bantengs, the zoo collects more than 2,000 pounds of dung per day.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rhinoceros.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Illustration of rhinoceros
Origin and Etymology of rhinoceros
Middle English rinoceros, from Anglo-French, from Latin rhinocerot-, rhinoceros, from Greek rhinokerōt-, rhinokerōs, from rhin- + keras horn — more at horn
RHINOCEROS Defined for English Language Learners
rhinoceros
playDefinition of rhinoceros for English Language Learners
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: a large, heavy animal of Africa and Asia that has thick skin and either one or two large horns on its nose
RHINOCEROS Defined for Kids
rhinoceros
playDefinition of rhinoceros for Students
rhinoceroses
alsorhinoceros
: a large plant-eating mammal of Africa and Asia with short legs, thick gray to brown skin with little hair, and one or two heavy upright horns on the snout
History for rhinoceros
The ancient Greeks were familiar with the African species of rhinoceros and called the animal in Greek monokerōs, “one-horned,” and more commonly rhinokerōs, “nose-horned.” “Nose-horned” is a more or less accurate description, because the horn does grow out of the nose, but “one-horned” is not, because both of the African species have two horns.
Learn More about rhinoceros
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Spanish Central: Translation of rhinoceros Nglish: Translation of rhinoceros for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rhinoceros
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