pachyderm

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 2, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>pachyderm</strong> &#149; \PAK-ih-derm\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> any of various <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonruminant">nonruminant</a> mammals (such as an elephant, a rhinoceros, or a hippopotamus) of a former group (<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pachydermata">Pachydermata</a>) that have hooves or nails resembling hooves and usually thick skin; <em>especially</em> <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant">elephant</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"'Rhino births are significant events at the Zoo so we are thrilled to share news of Niki's pregnancy and cannot wait to welcome this new addition to our herd,' said Rachel Emory, OKC Zoo <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curator">curator</a> of <em>pachyderms</em>." — <a href="https://oklahoman.com/article/5655052/local-briefs"><em>The Oklahoman</em> (Oklahoma City), 15 Feb. 2020</a></p> <p>"The elephants, though, still needed to reach the river. They hewed close to the old route, the one imprinted on generations of <em>pachyderm</em> brains…." — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/world/asia/thailand-elephants-coronavirus.html">Hannah Beech and Muktita Suhartono, <em>The New York Times</em>, 16 July 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Pachydermos</em> in Greek means literally "having thick skin" (figuratively, it means "dull" or "stupid"). It's from <em>pachys</em>, meaning "thick," and <em>derma</em>, meaning "skin." In the late 1700s, the French naturalist Georges Cuvier adapted the Greek term as <em>pachyderme</em> for any one of a whole assemblage of hoofed animals having thickish skin: elephants, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, tapirs, horses, pigs, a