hipopótamo (Spanish)
Where does "hipopótamo" come from?
The Spanish word "hipopótamo" is a learned borrowing from the Late Latin "hippopotamus," which itself comes from the Ancient Greek "hippopótamos." This Greek compound literally translates to "river horse," combining "híppos" (horse) and "potamós" (river). These ancient roots trace back to deep Proto-Indo-European origins, originally describing speed and water.
Full etymology tree
- hipopótamo (Spanish), 'hippopotamus'
- learned borrowing hippopotamus (Latin), 'a hippopotamus'
- inherited ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos) (Ancient Greek), 'hippopotamus'
- compound ἵππος (híppos) (Ancient Greek), 'a horse, (feminine) a mare'
- inherited *íkkʷos (Proto-Hellenic), 'horse'
- inherited *h₁éḱwos (Proto-Indo-European), 'stallion, horse'
- derived *h₁oh₁ḱu- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *h₁éḱwos (Proto-Indo-European), 'stallion, horse'
- inherited *íkkʷos (Proto-Hellenic), 'horse'
- compound ποταμός (potamós) (Ancient Greek), 'river, stream'
- derived *peth₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to spread out'
- compound ἵππος (híppos) (Ancient Greek), 'a horse, (feminine) a mare'
- inherited ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos) (Ancient Greek), 'hippopotamus'
- learned borrowing hippopotamus (Latin), 'a hippopotamus'
Ancestors
- hippopotamus (Latin)
- ἱπποπόταμος (Ancient Greek)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris