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hippopotamus

hip·po·pot·a·mus

hippopotamus

 
pronunciation:
hI p pa t ms
features:
Word History, Word Explorer
part of speech: noun
inflections: hippopotami, hippopotamuses
definition: a very large, round mammal that has short legs with hooves and thick skin with almost no hair. Hippopotamuses live in or near rivers and lakes of tropical Africa. They eat plants.
 
Word History
Hippopotamus comes from the ancient Greek word for this animal, which means "horse of the river."
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  mammal