kinkajou

[king-kuh-joo] /ˈkɪŋ kəˌdʒu/
noun
1.
a brownish, arboreal mammal, Potos flavus, of Central and South America, having a prehensile tail, related to the raccoon and coati.
Origin
1790-1800; < French: wolverine (misapplied by Buffon to Potos flavus), earlier quincajou, perhaps a conflation of carcajou carcajou with Ojibwa kwi˙nkwaʔa˙ke˙ a cognate word
Examples from the web for kinkajou
  • What goes in must come out-the dissected contents of a kinkajou scat reveal it to be a fruit-eater specializing in wild figs.
British Dictionary definitions for kinkajou

kinkajou

/ˈkɪŋkəˌdʒuː/
noun
1.
Also called honey bear, potto. an arboreal fruit-eating mammal, Potos flavus, of Central and South America, with a long prehensile tail: family Procyonidae (raccoons) order Carnivora (carnivores)
Word Origin
C18: from French quincajou, from Algonquian; related to Ojibwa gwĭngwâage wolverine
Word Origin and History for kinkajou
n.

1796, from French (1670s), from an Algonquian word.

Encyclopedia Article for kinkajou

an unusual member of the raccoon family (see procyonid) distinguished by its long, prehensile tail, short muzzle, and low-set, rounded ears. Native to Central America and parts of South America, the kinkajou is an agile denizen of the upper canopy of tropical forests.

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