ippopotamo
/ip.poˈpɔ.ta.mo/
The Italian word for hippo is ippopotamo.
Ippopotamo refers to a large, semiaquatic mammal characterized by grey skin and a wide mouth.
What does it mean word for word?
The prefix ippo- is derived from the Greek word for horse.
How does it change in a sentence?
Ippopotamo is a masculine noun. To form the plural, change the word to ippopotami.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 5 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /ip.poˈpɔ.ta.mo/.
Did you know?
- While English speakers almost always shorten the word to 'hippo', doing so in Italian sounds unnatural and is rarely done in speech.
- In Italian, the term ippopotamo is occasionally used metaphorically to describe someone who is clumsy or takes up too much space in a room.
- The structure of ippopotamo is nearly identical across all Romance languages, such as the Spanish hipopótamo and French hippopotame.
Examples in context
- Un ippopotamo uccise Tom.A hippo killed Tom.This sentence uses ippopotamo to describe an animal that killed Tom.Tatoeba #13472709 by Guybrush88, translation #13472778 by rul
- Vidi un ippopotamo allo zoo.I saw a hippo at the zoo.This sentence uses ippopotamo to mention an animal seen at the zoo.Tatoeba #7237824 by Guybrush88, translation #4718983 by hinto4
- Un ippopotamo felice sta nuotando nel lago.A happy hippo is swimming in the lake.This sentence uses ippopotamo to describe a happy animal swimming in a lake.Tatoeba #11504857 by carlosalberto, translation #11504847 by carlosalberto
- L'ippopotamo è noto per trascorrere gran parte della sua vita in acqua.The hippo is known to spend most of its life in water.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Lorenzo are looking at a nature documentary on TV.
- GiuliaGuarda quell'ippopotamo nel fiume.Look at that hippo in the river.
- LorenzoSì, l'ippopotamo è enorme.Yes, the hippo is huge.
- GiuliaSembra molto stanco.He looks very tired.
- LorenzoÈ vero, è un animale pigro.It's true, he is a lazy animal.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ippopotamo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
