how to say “hippo” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/היפופוטם-#.m4a” /]הִיפּוֹפּוֹטָם, סוּס הַיְּאוֹר
The English word hippopotamus comes from Greek, as does the more common Hebrew term for the animal – היפופוטם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/היפופוטם-#.m4a” /]. The Greek word means river horse, which gives rise to the term that is authentically Hebrew: סוס היאור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/היפופוטם-#.m4a” /] – literally, horse of the Nile.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/היפופוטם-#.m4a” /]סוס היאור הוא אחת החיות המסוכנות ביותר בעולם.
The hippo is one of the most dangerous animals in the world.
היאור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/היפופוטם-#.m4a” /] is the Biblical term for the Nile River (today Israelis call it הנילוס[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/היפופוטם-#.m4a” /]). And although it seems to have the word אור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/היפופוטם-#.m4a” /] – light – in it, יאור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/היפופוטם-#.m4a” /] – which has also referred to distributaries and other rivers – comes from Ancient Egyptian.
