hippopotamus

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hippopotamus

/ˌhɪp.əˈpɒt.ə.məs/ UK
/ˌhɪp.əˈpɑ.tə.məs/ Canada, US
[ˌhɪp.əˈpɑ.ɾə.məs] Canada, US
/hɪ.poˈpo.ta.mʊs/ Philippines
/hɪ.po.poˈta.mʊs/ Philippines
/ˌhi.po̞.po̞ˈte̞ː.mo̞s/
/ˌhi.poˈpo.te.mɔs/ Nigeria

Where it comes from

From Latin and New Latin hippopotamus, from Ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos), from ἵππος (híppos, “horse”) (English hippo-) + ποταμός (potamós, “river”). First attested in the 1560s.

Displaced English nicker (from native Old English nicor) and river horse.

noun hippopotami · hippopotamuses · hippopotamus · hippopotamos · hippotamus

A semi-aquatic, herbivorous, African hoofed mammal of the family Hippopotamidae.
Similar: hippo, hippopotamid, river horse
The common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). These were the first hippopotami that we had ever seen, and, to judge by their insatiable curiosity, I should judge that we were the first white men that they had ever seen.

Translations

Every language

noun African mammal

Español	hipopótamo
한국어	하마 hama
日本語	河馬 kaba, カバ kaba
中文	河馬 /河马 hémǎ
हिन्दी	दरियाई घोड़ा dariyāī ghoṛā, जलीय घोड़ा jalīya ghoṛā, जलहस्ती jalhastī
Kiswahili	kiboko
Português	hipopótamo
Français	hippopotame, hippo, cheval marin
Deutsch	Flusspferd, Nilpferd
Italiano	ippopotamo
Ελληνικά	ιπποπόταμος ippopótamos
Română	hipopotam
Русский	гиппопота́м gippopotám, бегемо́т begemót
Tiếng Việt	lợn nước, hà mã
العربية	فَرَس نَهْر faras nahr
עברית	הִיפּוֹפּוֹטָם hipopotám, בְּהֵמוֹת b'hemót, סוּס יְאוֹר sus y'ór

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MLA

"hippopotamus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hippopotamus. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

hippopotamus. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hippopotamus

Chicago

"hippopotamus." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hippopotamus.

BibTeX

@misc{hippopotamus_2026,
  title = {hippopotamus},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hippopotamus},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}