hippo

IPA/ˈhɪpəʊ/
KK[hˈɪpo]IPA/ˈhɪpəʊ/

hippo — noun

  • hipposingular
  • hipposplural

1. the short everyday name for a hippopotamus: an enormous plant-eating African ani

1.nounB1
Definition

the short everyday name for a hippopotamus: an enormous plant-eating African animal with a barrel-shaped body, almost hairless grey-brown skin, a huge mouth, and four stumpy legs, that wallows in muddy rivers and pools

Example

Abigail spotted a hippo yawning wide in the brown river during her safari.

collocation: spotted a hippo + present participle

Aylin's guide warned the group not to drift too close to the hippos.

Common collocations
  • a pod of hippos
  • a baby hippo
  • hippo yawn
  • hippo attack
Synonyms
  • hippopotamus

    the full, formal name; used in scientific and academic contexts

  • river horse

    old-fashioned literal translation of the Greek name; rarely used today

Grammar Patterns

a hippo

the hippo

hippos

Usage Note

Hippo is the everyday short form of hippopotamus. In formal writing, school reports, or scientific contexts, use the full word 'hippopotamus' instead.

Common Mistakes

A hippo has a horn on its nose.
A hippo has no horn; a rhinoceros does.
hippos and rhinos are different African animals. Hippos are larger, have huge mouths, and spend most of the day in water.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Hippo and hippopotamus refer to the same animal, but they differ in tone. Hippo is the friendly, everyday word you use in conversation, on safari, or when talking to children. Hippopotamus is the full formal term for essays, nature documentaries, and scientific papers. The old name 'river horse' is a direct translation from Greek but sounds outdated and literary to modern ears — you may see it in old books but almost never in speech. Do not confuse a hippo with a rhinoceros: a rhino has tough armoured-looking skin, one or two horns on its nose, and lives both on grassland and near water, while a hippo is bigger, has a wide flat snout with no horn, and rarely strays far from rivers and lakes.

hippopotamus ↗river horserhinoceros ↗

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Hippo is a shortening of hippopotamus, which came into English through Latin from the ancient Greek words 'hippos' (horse) and 'potamos' (river) — literally 'river horse.' People began using the clipped form 'hippo' in everyday English during the 1800s.

First known use

1850

1850, in the meaning defined above