rhino
UK[ˈraɪnəʊ]US[ˈraɪnoʊ]
n
A large, heavy mammal with thick skin and one or two horns on its nose.
Etymology
The term 'rhino' is a 19th-century shortening of 'rhinoceros', which entered English in the 13th century from Latin. The Latin word 'rhinoceros' itself derives from the Ancient Greek 'rhinokerōs', a compound of 'rhis' (genitive 'rhinos'), meaning 'nose', and 'keras', meaning 'horn'. Thus, the word's literal meaning, 'nose-horn', provides a perfectly descriptive and logical name for the animal, directly referencing its most distinctive physical feature. The clipped form 'rhino' retains the core semantic element ('rhin-', relating to the nose) from the original Greek root.
Analysis
The word 'rhino' is a clipped form of the full word 'rhinoceros'. It functions as a standalone noun in modern English.
Examples
We went on a safari and saw a rhino drinking at the waterhole.
The black rhino is critically endangered due to poaching.
A rhino's horn is made of keratin, the same substance as human hair.