pachyderm

C2 Topic:Animals

US /ˈpækɪdɝːm/ UK /ˈpækɪdɜːm/ See IPA manual

Freq #68779

Meanings

1

noun
an elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, or other large thick-skinned mammal formerly grouped in the obsolete order Pachydermata

The museum display explains why the rhinoceros was once classified as a pachyderm.
2

noun
an elephant

The young pachyderm stayed close to the herd as it crossed the river.
3

noun
figurative: a person insensitive to criticism or insult

Years of hostile reviews had turned the director into a cheerful pachyderm.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an elephant, rhinoceros,... thick-skinned mammal

2 noun · an elephant elephant

3 noun · figurative: a person... thick-skinned person

Opposites

sensitive person

Word family

Forms pachyderms

Derived forms pachydermalpachydermicpachydermatous

Related forms elephant rhinoceros hippopotamusPachydermata

Etymology

Borrowed from French pachyderme, coined from Greek pakhys, 'thick,' + derma, 'skin.' Nineteenth-century zoology grouped several thick-skinned hoofed mammals as Pachydermata, but modern classification abandoned the order. Pachyderm survives especially as a literary word for elephant.

Topics

Animals

External links

# pachyderm

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈpækɪdɝːm/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈpækɪdɜːm/
**Frequency rank:** 68779

## Meanings
1. an elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, or other large thick-skinned mammal formerly grouped in the obsolete order Pachydermata
2. an elephant
3. figurative: a person insensitive to criticism or insult

## Examples
- The museum display explains why the rhinoceros was once classified as a pachyderm.
- The young pachyderm stayed close to the herd as it crossed the river.
- Years of hostile reviews had turned the director into a cheerful pachyderm.

## Synonyms
- thick-skinned mammal
- elephant
- thick-skinned person

## Antonyms
- sensitive person

## Derived Forms
- pachydermal
- pachydermic
- pachydermatous

## Related Forms
- elephant
- rhinoceros
- hippopotamus
- Pachydermata

## Etymology
Borrowed from French pachyderme, coined from Greek pakhys, 'thick,' + derma, 'skin.' Nineteenth-century zoology grouped several thick-skinned hoofed mammals as Pachydermata, but modern classification abandoned the order. Pachyderm survives especially as a literary word for elephant.

## Topics
- Animals

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