A Regular Army of Hippopotami Trivia Quiz

Answer: Horse-shaped

The word "hippomorphic" comes from the Greek words for horse, "hippos", and "morphe", meaning form or shape.

Hippomorphic traits are evident in many world mythologies; usually a deity assumes the shape of a horse to seduce another mortal or immortal being. In Norse mythology, Loki unites with the horse Svašilfari and gives birth, in the form of a mare, to an eight-legged horse Sleipnir. In Greek mythology, Poseidon transforms himself into a horse, and fathers twins Aeolos and Boeotos with Melanippe (another hippomorphic trait since her name means "black mare").

Answer: Extreme fear of horses

"Hippophobia" is from the Greek words "hippos+phobia", or horse+extreme fear.

It is used to indicate the persistent and illogical fear of horses. It is the same as the Latin "equinophobia" from the Latin word for horse, "equus", and "phobia".
Like all phobias, it causes generalized anxiety, cold sweats, and tachycardia. In most cases, not all, the cause is a fall from a horse at a young age, or another unpleasant experience like a bite or a kick.

Answer: Mythological creature

"Hippogriff" is a hybrid word, from the Greek for horse, "hippos", and the Italian word for griffin, which is "grifo".

A hippogriff, or hippogryph, is a mythological creature with the body of a horse, and the wings, head and claws of an eagle. It is an offspring of a filly and a male griffin, another mythological creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. A hippogriff named Buckbeak belongs to the character Rubeus Hagrid in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" book series.

Answer: Seahorse

The word "hippocampus" comes from the word "hippo" for horse and either the Latin word "campus", or the Greek word "kampos" for sea monster. In other versions it can mean "crooked fish-tail".

It is a small marine creature which lives in tropical and temperate shallow waters all over the world. Its most well known characteristic is that during mating season, the female of the species places from 50 to 1,500 eggs in a pouch located in the male's front-facing side of the tail. The eggs stay in the pouch for 9 to 45 days, depending on the size of the species, and at the end, fully developed "fries" emerge. As a species, seahorses are considered endangered because of their use in traditional Chinese medicine and in the trade of being dried and sold as souvenirs.

Answer: Coliseum, stadium

The name comes from the Greek word for horse, "hippos", and the Greek word for street, or "dromos".

In ancient Greece, a hippodrome was an oval-shaped stadium used for chariot and horse races. In Roman times, a hippodrome was like a Roman circus, an open-air public space for races and entertainment performances with acrobats, clowns and musicians. In modern times it is used for a racecourse.

Answer: Ancient Greek play by Euripides

The name means "unleasher of horses" ("hippo+lyein", which means untie or set free).

The play by Euripides is based on the ancient myth of Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Hippolytus lives in Troezen with his father and stepmother Phaedra and is devoted to the goddess of hunt, Artemis, to whom he has sworn chastity. Enraged by his denial of her, the goddess of love, Aphrodite, makes Hippolytus' stepmother fall in love with him. When Hippolytus refuses Phaedra's advances, Phaedra tells Theseus that his son raped her and kills herself. Theseus curses Hippolytus and Poseidon sends a sea-monster which terrorizes Hippolytus' horses and drives them off a cliff. Hippolytus dies in the arms of his father, who realizes his mistake and asks Hippolytus for forgiveness.

Answer: Dipterous insect (fly)

The name means "to feed on horses" ("hippos+bosko", to feed or graze).

"Hippobosca equina" is the common name for the forest fly or New forest fly, an ectoparasite of horses, donkeys and cattle. They are haematophagous, feeding on the blood of the animals they bite, and their natural habitat is in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Answer: Sea-buckthorn

"Hippophae" or "hippophaes" is a deciduous shrub of the Elaeagnaceae family, grown in Europe, Russia, Mongolia, China and Canada. It means "shining horse" from the Greek words for horse, "hippo+phaos", and light or shining.

It was the ancient belief that when horses fed on hippophae their coats became lustrous and shiny and their overall appearance improved. Evidence of the use of hippophae exist in the manuscripts of several ancient writers, among them noted pharmacologist Pedanios Dioskorides (c. 40 AD). Although, hippophae has been known to mankind for thousands of years, it only lately became popular for human consumption as a "super-food". The berries are very sour and oily and not easily eaten raw but they can be used, combined with other fruits, in juices, muesli mixes, pies, jams and teas.

Answer: River horse

A "hippopotamus", "hippos+potamos", (horse+river) is a very large semi-aquatic animal which makes its habitat in sub-Saharan Africa.

It is herbivorous and genetically linked to cetaceans, namely whales, dolphins and porpoises. A hippopotamus spends most of the day submerged in water, holding just its nostrils and eyes above water, and leaves the water at night to graze. The hippopotami secrete a thick dark red liquid from their bodies which keeps their skin moisturized and germ-free. Their round and arcane appearance has made them popular animals in zoos, comics, children stories and artistic depictions. A famous depiction of a hippopotamus hunt is found in the form of a sculpture relief in the tomb of Ti, a prominent Egyptian, in Saqqara, Egypt, c. 2500-2400 BCE.

Answer: Pertaining to extremely long words

It is only fitting to close this BIG Word challenge quiz with a 30-letter word!

This word is composed of the words "hippopotamus+monstro+sesqui+pedalis", which break down to hippopotamus ("monstro"=monster in Latin, "sesqui"=times 1 and a half, and "pedalis", from the Latin word for foot, singular "pes" or plural "pedi"). The word "sesquipedalian" by itself means "measuring a foot and a half or eighteen inches."