nīlzirgs

Latvian

Nīlzirgs

Etymology

From Nīla (“Nile river”) +‎ zirgs (“horse”), probably a calque of German Nilpferd, itself ultimately a calque (with Nile instead of river) from Ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos) (from ἵππος (híppos, “horse”) + ποταμός (potamós, “river”)).

Noun

nīlzirgs m (1st declension)

  1. hippopotamus (genus Hippopotamus)
    nīlzirgu bars ― hippopotamus herd
    nīlzirgu dzimtene ir Āfrikas vidiene ― the hippopotamus homeland is the interior of Africa

Declension

Synonyms

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