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Literary notes about pachyderm (AI summary)

Literary usage of the word "pachyderm" covers a broad palette of meanings, from affectionate personification to humorous metaphor and scientific label. In some works, the term vividly describes a noble animal imbued with both majesty and devotion—as in the depiction of an elephant loyally following her master [1]—while in others it highlights the creature's significant physical presence through references to its thick, enduring skin [2] or its massive, fossilized form [3], [4]. The word is also employed playfully, characterizing a clumsy or stubborn figure with a gentle, if teasing, tone [5], [6], and even as a simile to convey monumental weight or cumbersome movement [7]. Such varied usage underscores its versatility, as it adapts effortlessly to contexts ranging from epic natural narratives to lighthearted social commentary.
  1. And Imogene, the elephant, a faithful and adoring pachyderm, pursued her lord and master into the sea.
    — from The Skipper and the Skipped: Being the Shore Log of Cap'n Aaron Sproul by Holman Day
  2. Pachyderm, a non-ruminant animal, characterized by the thickness of its skin.
    — from A Manual of the Antiquity of Man by J. P. (John Patterson) MacLean
  3. The bones in question, however, turned out to belong to the great American fossil pachyderm, the Mastodon giganteus .
    — from Traditions, Superstitions and Folk-lore (Chiefly Lancashire and the North of England:) Their Affinity to Others in Widely-Distributed Localities; Their Eastern Origin and Mythical Significance. by Charles Hardwick
  4. An extinct pachyderm that flourished when the Pterodactyl was in fashion.
    — from The Cynic's Word Book by Ambrose Bierce
  5. He was such a funny old pachyderm, a kind of clown among his brethren, but as gentle as a kitten.
    — from The Adventures of Kathlyn by Harold MacGrath
  6. Why, you poor, pitiful, pusillanimous old pachyderm, if the boy has dishonored you he has honored himself.
    — from Kindred of the Dust by Peter B. (Peter Bernard) Kyne
  7. They were passing on silent as spectres, the tread of the ponderous pachyderm being noiseless as that of a cat.
    — from The Vee-Boers: A Tale of Adventure in Southern Africa by Mayne Reid

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