English

Alternative forms

• rhinocerote

Noun

rhinocerot ‎(plural rhinocerots or (archaic) rhinocerotes)

1. (rare) The rhinoceros.
   • 1551, Edward Topsell, The Historie of Foure-footed Beastes, translation of Historiae Animalium de Quadrupedibus viviparis by Conrad Gesner, published 1607:

     Antoninus Pius the Emperor, did give many gifts unto the people, amongst which were both Tigers and Rhinocerots, (saith Iulius Capitalinus in his life).

   • 1625, Samuel Purchas, Hakluytus Posthumus, J MacLehose, published 1905, page 63:

     Beyond that Country of Birds, is another wilde and mountainous, where abide many creatures much worse than those Birds, Elephants, Rhinocerotes, Lions, Wild-swine, Buffals, and Wild-kine.

   • 1896, HW Seager, editor, Natural History in Shakespeare’s Time, Kessinger, published 2004, page 76:

     The Indians have a kind of Crocodile in Ganges, which hath a horn growing out of his nose like a Rhinocerot

References

Shorter OED.