n. pl. rhinoceros or rhi·noc·er·os·es Any of several large thick-skinned ungulate mammals of the family Rhinocerotidae, having one or two upright horns on the snout, and including the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) of Africa, the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) of India and Nepal, and the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) and Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) of Southeast Asia. [Middle English rinoceros, from Latin rhīnocerōs, from Greek rhīnokerōs : rhīno-, rhino- + keras, horn; see ker-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] ![]() (click for a larger image) rhinoceroswhite rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.