hippopotami

Variant of hippopotamus

hippopotamus definition

hippo·pota·mus (hip′ə pät′ə məs)

noun pl. hippopotamuses -·a·mus·es, hippopotami -·a·mi′ (-mī′), hippopotamus -·a·mus

any of a family (Hippopotamyidae) of large, plant-eating, artiodactylous mammals with a heavy, thick-skinned, almost hairless body and short legs: they live chiefly in or near rivers in Africa

Etymology: L < Gr hippopotamos, lit., river horse < hippos (see hippo-) + potamos, river, orig., that which goes down < IE base *pet-, to fall, fly > feather, Gr pteryx, wing

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.