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arboreal

[ahr-bawr-ee-uhl, -bohr-]

adjective

of or pertaining to trees; treelike.

Also, arboreous. living in or among trees.

Zoology. adapted for living and moving about in trees, as the limbs and skeleton of opossums, squirrels, monkeys, and apes.

Origin:
1660–70; < Latin arbore(us) of trees (arbor tree + -eus -eous) + -al¹

Related forms

ar·bo·re·al·ly, adverb

sub·ar·bo·re·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Arboreal is a GRE word you need to know.

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formidable

free from a burden or other encumbrance

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Example Sentences

Both coastal and mountainous, this cool, misty cape forms a splendid arboreal incubator in its river.

Whether the first birds evolved from arboreal or terrestrial ancestors is a matter of lively debate among palaeontologists.

The orangutan evidence adds a new twist to the debate of arboreal versus terrestrial bipedalism theories.

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Both coastal and mountainous, this cool, misty cape forms a splendid arboreal incubator in its river.

Whether the first birds evolved from arboreal or terrestrial ancestors is a matter of lively debate among palaeontologists.

The orangutan evidence adds a new twist to the debate of arboreal versus terrestrial bipedalism theories.

All sight hunters and arboreal creatures that jump from branch to branch have this, since they require stereo vision to survive.

The trails will take you through mossy forests to stunning, venerable arboreal giants.

Whole cities, once known for their miles of elm-shrouded streets, became arboreal wastelands.

Our ancestors among these earliest primates were the plesiadapiforms--generalized, small-bodied, and arboreal.

Intricate pulley-systems and rope-bridges connect the trees into an arboreal village.

The orangutan is the only strictly arboreal ape and the largest tree living mammal in the world.

These creatures seem to have led a similar arboreal life-style, but had no need for the powerful mandible or big display.

Candidates for the display trees are not chosen for height alone but are judged for overall arboreal beauty.

C elongata is one of the few species of shrew that can switch between terrestrial and arboreal habitats.

Imagination, nailed and wired countless buttons to a tree branch to create a fantastic arboreal sculpture.

The arboreal species has one of the longest intervals between births among mammals, typically around eight years.

The vegetation provided further exotic notes, with arboreal yuccas and cactuses planted among the chestnuts and olives and pines.

The frogs' lifestyle is so thoroughly arboreal that, instead of laying eggs in water, the frogs deposit their eggs in trees.

It arrived in the fall and stayed until early spring as it was a northern arboreal species.

They are a highly arboreal species and will venture onto land only occasionally to search for food.

Most researchers conclude that pterosaurs descended from a small arboreal reptile that spent its life jumping between branches.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

arboreal (ɑːˈbɔːrɪəl)

—*adj*
1.	of, relating to, or resembling a tree
2.	living in or among trees: arboreal monkeys

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

arboreal

1660s, from L. arboreus "pertaining to trees," from arbor "tree," of unknown origin, + -al (1).

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

arboreal

(är-bôr'ē-əl) Pronunciation Key
Relating to or living in trees.

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Matching Quote

"A hairy quadruped, furnished with a tail and pointed ears, probably arboreal in its habits."

-Charles Darwin

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