What is "river horse"

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.

n. (context poetic English) hippopotamus

n. massive thick-skinned herbivorous animal living in or around rivers of tropical Africa [syn: hippopotamus, hippo, Hippopotamus amphibius]

River Horse (ἱπποπόταμος) is Greek for Hippopotamus. Other uses include:

• River Horse (sculpture), a sculpture at George Washington University
• River Horse Brewery, a brewery in New Jersey
• River Horse, book by William Least Heat-Moon

The River Horse is a bronze sculpture of a hippopotamus located on the campus of George Washington University. It is in front of Lisner Auditorium, at 21st Street and H Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.

In 1996, George Washington University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg presented this bronze statue as a gift to the University's Class of 2000. The hippo stands with its mouth wide. Its nose is slightly worn due to passerby rubbing it. A plaque is placed on the base:

Legend has it that the Potomac was once home to these wondrous beasts. George & Martha Washington are even said to have watched them cavort in the river shallows from the porch of their beloved Mount Vernon on summer evenings. Credited with enhancing the fertility of the plantation, the Washingtons believed the hippopatamus brought them good luck & children on the estate often attempted to lure the creatures close enough to the shore to touch a nose for good luck. So, too, may generations of students of the George Washington University. Art for wisdom, Science for joy, Politics for beauty, And a Hippo for hope. The George Washington University Class of 2000 August 28, 1996