hippopotame (French)
Where does "hippopotame" come from?
The French word 'hippopotame' was borrowed from the Ancient Greek 'hippopótamos', a compound literally meaning 'river horse.' This name combines 'híppos,' which descends from a Proto-Indo-European root for a swift stallion, and 'potamós,' a word for a flowing stream likely derived from older roots meaning to spread out or fly. Over time, the name for this massive semi-aquatic mammal has also taken on a figurative, informal meaning in French to describe an overweight person.
Full etymology tree
- hippopotame (French), 'hippopotamus'
- borrowed 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 *h₁éḱus (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'
- derived *kweth₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to bubble, to foam'
- contraction πόντος (póntos) (Ancient Greek), 'the sea'
- inherited *póntos (Proto-Hellenic), 'sea'
- inherited *pónteh₁s (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *póntos (Proto-Hellenic), 'sea'
- compound ἵππος (híppos) (Ancient Greek), 'a horse, (feminine) a mare'
- borrowed ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos) (Ancient Greek), 'hippopotamus'
Ancestors
- ἱπποπόταμος (Ancient Greek)
Descendants and derived words
- hippopotame amphibie (French)
- hippopotame commun (French)
- هیپوپوتام (Ottoman Turkish)
Updated May 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris