hippo

The word 'hippo' is a clipped form of 'hippopotamus', which entered English in the 16th century from Latin. The Latin term was borrowed from the Greek 'hippopotamos', a compound of 'hippos' (horse) and 'potamos' (river). This "river horse" was the ancient Greek name for the large, amphibious African mammal, reflecting their observation of its bulky, horse-like shape and aquatic habitat. The modern clipped form 'hippo' retains the core 'horse' element from the original descriptive compound.

Structure: hippo (horse) + potamus (river) 'hippo' is from Greek 'hippos' meaning 'horse'. 'potamus' is from Greek 'potamos' meaning 'river'. The full form 'hippopotamus' combines these elements.