Standard Lemma guide

pachyderm

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈpæk.ɪˌdɜː(ɹ)m/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A member of the obsolete taxonomic order Pachydermata, grouping of thick-skinned, hoofed animals such as the rhinoceros, hippopotamus, elephant and tapir.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An elephant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person with thick skin; someone who is not affected by or does not care what others say about them.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Someone who is insensitive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

any of various nonruminant hoofed mammals having very thick skin: elephant; rhinoceros; hippopotamus

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: placental, placental mammal, eutherian, eutherian mammal

Narrower terms: elephant

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French pachyderme, equivalent to pachy- (“thick”) + -derm (“skin”).

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Asturian: paquidermu — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Bulgarian: дебелокожо (debelokožo) — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Chinese Mandarin: 厚皮動物 /厚皮动物 — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Esperanto: paĥidermo — member of the group Pachydermata
  • French: pachyderme — member of the group Pachydermata
  • German: Dickhäuter — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Greek: παχύδερμο (pachýdermo) — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Icelandic: þykkskinnungur — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Ido: pakidermo — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Italian: pachiderma — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Macedonian: дебело́кожец (debelókožec) — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Polish: zwierzę gruboskórne — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Portuguese: paquiderme — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Spanish: paquidermo — member of the group Pachydermata
  • Czech: tlustokožec — someone with thick skin
  • Finnish: paksunahkainen — someone with thick skin
  • German: Dickhäuter — someone with thick skin
  • Greek: παχύδερμο (pachýdermo) — someone with thick skin
  • Ido: pakidermo — someone with thick skin
  • Italian: pachiderma — someone with thick skin
  • Polish: osoba z grubą skórą — someone with thick skin
  • Spanish: paquidermo — someone with thick skin