river hogn.
/ˈrɪvə hɒɡ/, U.S. /ˈrɪvər ˌhɔɡ/, /ˈrɪvər ˌhɑɡ/ 1. † a. The capybara, Hydrochaerus hydrochaeris. Obsolete.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > order Rodentia or rodent > superfamily Hystricomorpha (porcupine or guinea-pig) > [noun] > genus Hydrochoerus (capybara)
water hog1625
river hog1678
capybara1774
water cavy1835
carpincho1839
1678 J. P. tr. J. Johnstone Descr. Nature Four-footed Beasts ii. iv. 58/2 The River-hog the Brasilians call Capybaria, is so big as ours of a year or two old.
1704 Nat. Hist. i, in L. Wafer New Voy. & Descr. Isthmus Amer. (ed. 2) 181 The River-Hog [of Central America]. Feeds on Grass and divers Fruits can swim and dive well.
1774 T. Falkner Descr. Patagonia 57 Capivaras, or river-hogs.
1828 J. A. B. Beaumont Trav. Buenos Ayres ii. 32 He also hunts the carpincho, or river hog.
1850 E. C. Otté & H. G. Bohn tr. A. von Humboldt Views of Nature 198 The Capybara, a cavy (or river-hog) three or four feet long.., is devoured in the river by the crocodile.
b. Any of various semiaquatic ungulates. Now only in red river hog n. at red adj. and n. Compounds 1e(a).
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the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > order Artiodactyla (cloven-hoofed animals) > [noun] > group Suiformes (hippos and pigs) > family Suidae (swine) > genus Potamochoerus (African bush-pig)
wood-swine1785
Guinea hog1788
river hog1803
bosch-vark1834
bush-pig1840
bush-hog1854
red river hog1868
1803 Anti-Jacobin Rev. & Mag. June 163 There is found, in the Nile, the river hog, which is of the size of the elephant.
1849 Catal. Boston Mus. 31 The Collection... Cabinets 17 & 18... Also a skeleton of the South American Tapir or River Hog.
1875 C. Darwin Descent of Man II. ii. xvii. 254 The African river-hog (Potamochoerus penicillatus) has a hard cartilaginous knob on each side of the face beneath the eyes.
1900 P. L. Sclater Guide to Gardens Zool. Soc. (rev. ed.) 18 In Africa proper the swine are replaced by River-Hogs, of which two different species are represented in the collection.
2. North American slang. = river-driver n. Cf. river pig n. at river n.1 Compounds 3, river rat n. 3b.
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the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > lumbering > [noun] > transport of logs > one who
rafter1741
driver1825
river-driver1825
rear crew1851
loadera1862
skidder1870
floater1889
river hog1902
river rat1905
boom-man1908
river pig1908
rearing crew1944
1902 S. E. White Blazed Trail lvi. 384 And now we've gone and bust, just because that infernal river-hog had to fall off a boom.
1920 P. B. Kyne Kindred of Dust xlii. 332 ‘The superintendent up there will give me a job on the river.’ Mr. Daney could not forbear an expression of horror. ‘Hector McKaye's son a river hog!’ he cried incredulously.
1964 Outdoorsman (Campbellford, Ont.) Dec. 1/2 One may see a visitor with a misty look in his eye; an old blacksmith, top loader, barn boss, teamster, cookie or river hog who has returned to a fleeting glimpse of an era long gone by.
2003 D. Dickmann & L. A. Leefers Forests Michigan vi. 139 The river hogs immediately jumped out on the floating logs to push and prod them into the moving current.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1678