Crossword clues for hippopotami
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Hippopotamus \Hip`po*pot"a*mus\, n.; pl. E. Hippopotamuses, L. Hippopotami. [L., from Gr.?; "i`ppos horse + ? river. Cf. Equine.] (Zo["o]l.) A large, amphibious, herbivorous mammal ( Hippopotamus amphibius), common in the rivers of tropical Africa. It is allied to the hogs, and has a very thick, naked skin, a thick and square head, a very large muzzle, small eyes and ears, thick and heavy body, and short legs. It is supposed to be the behemoth of the Bible. Called also zeekoe, and river horse. A smaller species ( Hippopotamus Liberiencis) inhabits Western Africa.
Wiktionary
n. (plural of hippopotamus English)
WordNet
n. massive thick-skinned herbivorous animal living in or around rivers of tropical Africa [syn: hippo, river horse, Hippopotamus amphibius]
[also: hippopotami (pl)]
See hippopotamus
Usage examples of "hippopotami".
Then the narrative proceeded, as I judged from the frequent appeals that our guide made to the girl, to the point where we had shot the hippopotami, and we at once perceived that there was something very wrong about those hippopotami, for the history was frequently interrupted by indignant exclamations from the little group of white-robed priests and even from the courtiers, while the two Queens listened with an amazed expression, especially when our guide pointed to the rifles in our hands as being the means of destruction.
Whilst we were still thus engaged, our friend the captain of the guard presented himself, and with many obeisances signified that we were to follow him, which we did, not without doubts and heart-searchings -- for we guessed that the time had come when we should have to settle the bill for those confounded hippopotami with our cold-eyed friend Agon, the High Priest.
The Zu-Vendi are a very curious and sociable people, and great as was their sense of the enormity that we had committed in shooting the sacred hippopotami, they did not like the idea of the only real live strangers they had seen or heard of being consigned to a fiery furnace, thereby putting an end for ever to their chance of extracting knowledge and information from, and gossiping about us.
As for that painful little incident of the hippopotami it sank into oblivion, where we were quite content to leave it.
We had indeed heard no more of those confounded hippopotami, but it is not on that account to be supposed that our sacrilege was forgotten, or the enmity of the great and powerful priesthood headed by Agon appeased.
This cunning and ferocious old man had not forgiven us for those hippopotami, or rather that was what he said.
We changed the men and horses and dragged her bows into the next tumbling, swirling stretch of broken water in which the rocks stood like the heads of gigantic hippopotami ready to rip out her frail timbers with fangs of granite.