# river horse

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. Hippopotamus.

## Etymology
Calque of Ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos). Compare Middle English water hors (“hippopotamus”). By surface analysis, river + horse.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/river-horse