noun
rhinoceros
rye-NAH-suh-rus/raɪˈnɑːsərəs/
A large, thick-skinned, plant-eating mammal with one or two horns on its nose.
The rhinoceros has a massive body, thick gray skin, and two nasal horns.
Etymology
The Greek pieces mean “nose-horned”: the name identifies the animal by the striking position of its horn or horns on the snout.
In context
Do you think you could draw me something, Eli? Like a rhinoceros? >> What's a rhoscorus? >> The animal with the horn?
More examples
- Some rhinoceroses have one horn, while others have two.
- The young rhinoceros stays close to its mother.
- A rhinoceros eats plants rather than hunting other animals.
Forms
rhinoceros · rhinoceroses
Similar words
- rhino
- Informal shortened name for the same animal.