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hip·po·pot·a·mus

(hĭp′ə-pŏtə-məs)

n. pl. hip·po·pot·a·mus·es or hip·po·pot·a·mi (-mī′)

1. A large, chiefly aquatic African herbivorous mammal (Hippopotamus amphibius) having thick, dark, almost hairless skin, short legs with four toes, and a broad, wide-mouthed muzzle. Also called river horse.

2. The pygmy hippopotamus.

[Latin, from Greek hippopotamos : hippos, horse; see ekwo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + potamos, river; see pet- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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hippopotamus

Hippopotamus amphibius

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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