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Definition of hippopotamus noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hippopotamus

noun
 
/ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəməs/
 
/ˌhɪpəˈpɑːtəməs/
(also informal hippo)
(plural hippopotamuses
 
/ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəməsɪz/
 
/ˌhɪpəˈpɑːtəməsɪz/
, hippopotami
 
/ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəmaɪ/
 
/ˌhɪpəˈpɑːtəmaɪ/
)
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  1. a large heavy African animal with thick dark skin and short legs that lives in rivers and lakesTopics Animalsc1
    Word OriginMiddle English: via Latin from Greek hippopotamos, earlier hippos ho potamios ‘river horse’ (from hippos ‘horse’, potamos ‘river’).
See hippopotamus in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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noun
 
 
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