hippopotamus

Forms

hippopotamus m (genitive hippopotamī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos),^[2][1] from ἵππος (híppos, “horse”) and ποταμός (potamós, “river”).^[1] Etymonline calls the Greek word an irregular formation from the earlier phrase ἵππος ποτάμιος (híppos potámios, “horse of the river”),^[3] which also gave the by-form ⟨hippopotamius⟩.^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Varro (116–27 BC) has the by-form hippopotamios for the river horse.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Vitruvius, Pomponius Mela and Pliny the Elder use it of the African river animal.^[5][4][6] Later writers, among them Ammianus Marcellinus, describe it as well.^[6][4]

In Medieval Latin it was glossed equus fluvialis, “river horse”.^[7][8] British texts sometimes treat it as a fish, following Isidore of Seville.^[8]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro has the form hippopotamios.^[4]
• c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius mentions the animal.^[5][9]
• 43/44 AD – Pomponius Mela uses the form hippopotamios.^[4][9]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder describes it.^[6][9]
• c. 390 AD – Ammianus Marcellinus writes of it.^[6][9]
• 1560s – English borrows it, replacing Middle English ypotame.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. The hippopotamus, the river horse.^[2][6]

Related words

• English hippopotamus

Usage notes

The OLD and Georges record the by-form hippopotamius (hippopotamios) beside hippopotamus.^[2][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
5. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
8. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de