When in doubt-look to the language of origin. Hippopotamus is an irregular plural noun that does not end in the typical -s/ -es that regular plural noun forms take. Most commonly, people prefer hippo/hippos because it’s one syllable as opposed to five. Nouns that end in – us use – i as a plural. See the following irregular Latinate plural nouns: ![]() Likewise, as a plural noun, each replaces the -us with the Latinate -i. See, for example, cactus, fungus, alumnus, syllabus, and so on. The difference is subtle: Latin suffixes for singular nouns commonly end in -us. Though the word hippopotamus has Greek origin, through Latin influences and language, hippopotamos from the Greek became hippopotamus in Late Latin. To get back to topic, what’s the deal with the word hippopotamus, and why are there two plural forms i.e., hippopotamuses and hippopotami? Lastly, what’s the deal with ‘ hippopotami,’ ? If you’re curious to read more about the origins of English and its effect on noun forms, check out GFlex’s post on irregular and regular nouns. We’re talking Greek, Latin, Dutch, German, Old Norse, Old Frisian in some cases Spanish, Portuguese, and so on and so forth. Remember, people: English, as a language, has its roots in other languages. Why is hippopotami the plural of hippopotamus? Rhinos are the second largest land mammal next to elephants, on average they are larger than hippos ( hippos are the third largest land mammal, #TheMoreYouKnow on twitter.) While both mammals are native to Africa, are massive and are herbivores, the rhinoceros and hippopotamus are different animals, with several distinct differences and markers that tell them apart. ![]() There are two living species of the hippo: the pygmy hippo ( Choeropsis liberiensis), and the common hippo ( Hippopotamus amphibius.) Hippopotamus, more commonly referred to as hippos, are a semi-aquatic mammal native to Sub-Saharan Africa.
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