rhinoceros

noun

rhi·​noc·​er·​os rī-ˈnä-sə-rəs 

rə-, 

-ˈnäs-rəs

plural rhinoceroses also rhinoceros or rhinoceri rī-ˈnä-sə-ˌrī 

rə-

: 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

Illustration of rhinoceros

Examples of rhinoceros in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On the tour with Krueger, Ingrid Barkow watched from her wheelchair as the elephants roamed their habitat, while Monika Jansen balanced on her tiptoes to get a better view of a rhinoceros. —ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026

Other large exotic animals most commonly seen in zoos, such as elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, crocodiles, alligators, hippopotamuses, kangaroos and wallabies, are all banned, with some specific exceptions for zoos and research facilities. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 7 Apr. 2026

Irish whiskey is known for its friendly mildness, so to pair it with a charging rhinoceros like Green Chartreuse gives the cocktail a shove into a realm of intensity that Irish whiskey drinks rarely occupy. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2026

To look at the rhinoceros auklet even briefly was to see these countless threads gathered into blurred shadows flying over my head at twilight. —Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rinoceros, from Anglo-French, from Latin rhinocerot-, rhinoceros, from Greek rhinokerōt-, rhinokerōs, from rhin- + keras horn — more at horn

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rhinoceros

• black rhinoceros
• greater one-horned rhinoceros
• Indian rhinoceros
• Javan rhinoceros
• lesser one-horned rhinoceros
• one-horned rhinoceros
• rhinoceros beetle
• white rhinoceros

Kids Definition

rhinoceros

noun

rhi·​noc·​er·​os rī-ˈnäs-(ə-)rəs 

plural rhinoceroses also rhinoceros

: any of various large plant-eating mammals of Africa and Asia that are related to the horse and have a thick skin with little hair, three toes on each foot, and one or two heavy upright horns on the snout

Etymology

Middle English rinoceros "rhinoceros," from Latin rhinocerot-, rhinoceros (same meaning), from Greek rhinokerōt-, rhinokerōs, literally "nose-horned," from rhin-, rhis "nose" and keras "horn"

Word Origin

One of the largest animals found on land today is the thick-skinned rhinoceros. Another of the animal's characteristics, besides large size, is found on its snout. All rhinoceroses have at least one horn, and some have two horns. The English name for this animal with a horn or horns on its snout was borrowed from Latin rhinoceros. The Latin name, in turn, came from the Greek word rhinokerōs, which literally means "nose-horned." This word is made up of the Greek word rhin-, rhis, meaning "nose" and the word keras, meaning "horn."