hippocephalic

H4I1P3P3O1C3E1P3H4A1L1I1C3

adjective

Having a head shaped like that of a horse.

OriginEnglish cephalic ← Ancient Greek ῐ̔́ππος (hĭ́ppos) ← Proto-Hellenic *íkkʷos →
Scrabble 29
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Meanings

adjective
  1. Having a head shaped like that of a horse.

    The slant-eyed man was small, but the great hippocephalic bird was there to see he was obeyed.

    1927, H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*HéHḱus
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éḱwos
  3. Proto-Hellenic*íkkʷos
  4. Ancient Greekῐ̔́ππος (hĭ́ppos)
  5. Englishhippo-
  6. Englishcephalic
  7. Englishhippocephalic

From hippo- + cephalic.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hippocephalic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hippocephalic

MLA

“hippocephalic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hippocephalic. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hippocephalic,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hippocephalic.

Source: hippocephalic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.