pachyderm
/ˈpæk.ɪˌdɜː(ɹ)m/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.80 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A member of the obsolete taxonomic order Pachydermata, grouping of thick-skinned, hoofed animals such as the rhinoceros, hippopotamus, elephant and tapir.
Obsolete
noun
A person with thick skin; someone who is not affected by or does not care what others say about them.
noun
Someone who is insensitive.
Example Sentences
- "And so it happened that before the elephant realized that his new enemy had leaped from his path Tarzan had driven his iron-shod spear from behind the massive shoulder straight into the fierce heart, and the colossal pachyderm had toppled to his death at the feet of the ape-man."
- "Among five score pachyderm / Each canopied and passengered / Sit the duke and the duchess' luscious young girls"
- "In September 2008[…] Portfolio rented an elephant to illustrate an article about JPMorgan Chase’s credit derivatives desk, because the editors had decided on the headline “The $58 Trillion Elephant in the Room.” Condé spent about $30,000 photographing the pachyderm, instead of using a stock image."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˈpæk.ɪˌdɜː(ɹ)m/