pachyderm
pachyderm — noun
- pachydermsingular
- pachydermsplural
1. a very large thick-skinned mammal, especially an elephant, rhino, or hippo.
a very large thick-skinned mammal, especially an elephant, rhino, or hippo.
At the safari park, Hana pointed at the baby pachyderm beside its mother.
countable noun: a baby pachyderm
From the bus, the children could see a pachyderm bathing in the river.
During the zoo talk, Felix learned which pachyderms use mud to cool themselves.
plural form: pachyderms
Ayesha sketched each pachyderm carefully, from the rhino's horn to the elephant's ears.
The guide asked the children to stay quiet near the sleeping pachyderms.
- baby pachyderm
- herd of pachyderms
- sleeping pachyderms
Grammar Patterns
a pachyderm
herd of pachyderms
Usage Note
Mostly found in formal, literary, or humorous writing rather than everyday speech. In modern science it is a loose, old-fashioned label, so speakers often use it simply to group elephants, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses together.