aphelops
|ap-hel-ops|
🇺🇸
/ˌæfəˈlɑps/
🇬🇧
/ˌæfəˈlɒps/
plain-faced; hornless rhino
Etymology
'Aphelops' originates from Greek, specifically from elements 'aphelēs' and 'ōps', where 'aphelēs' meant 'simple, plain' and 'ōps' meant 'face' or 'appearance'.
'Aphelops' was coined in New Latin (scientific Latin) as a genus name in 19th-century paleontological literature and was adopted unchanged into modern scientific English as the name of the extinct genus.
Initially the Greek elements conveyed the idea of 'plain-faced'; over time the compound became a taxonomic name referring specifically to an extinct hornless rhinoceros genus rather than a descriptive common-word phrase.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an extinct genus of rhinoceros-like mammals (family Rhinocerotidae) that lived in North America during the Miocene to Pliocene epochs; characterized by a generally hornless, robust skull and heavy body.
Aphelops fossils have been discovered at multiple Miocene sites across North America, showing it was a widespread hornless rhinoceros genus.
Last updated: 2025/09/16 03:48