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carnivore

 - 4 dictionary results

car⋅ni⋅vore

  [kahr-nuh-vawr, -vohr]
–noun
1. an animal that eats flesh.
2. a flesh-eating mammal of the order Carnivora, comprising the dogs, cats, bears, seals, and weasels.
3. an insectivorous plant.
Use carnivore in a Sentence
Origin:
1850–55; < L carnivorus carnivorous

Related forms:
car⋅niv⋅o⋅ral  [kahr-niv-er-uhl] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To carnivore
car·ni·vore   (kär'nə-vôr', -vōr')   
n.  

  1. A flesh-eating animal.

  2. Any of various predatory, flesh-eating mammals of the order Carnivora, including the dogs, cats, bears, weasels, hyenas, and raccoons.

  3. One who victimizes or injures others; a predator.

  4. An insectivorous plant.


[From French, meat-eating, from Latin carnivorus; see carnivorous.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

carnivore [(kahr-nuh-vawr)]

A living thing that eats meat. Among mammals, there is an order of carnivores, including primarily meat-eating animals such as tigers and dogs. Some plants, such as the Venus's-flytrap, are carnivores.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Science Dictionary
carnivore   (kär'nə-vôr')  Pronunciation Key 

    1. An animal that feeds chiefly on the flesh of other animals. Carnivores include predators such as lions and alligators, and scavengers such as hyenas and vultures. In a food chain, carnivores are either secondary or tertiary consumers. Compare detritivore, herbivore.

    2. Any of various generally meat-eating mammals of the order Carnivora. Carnivores have large, sharp canine teeth and large brains, and the musculoskeletal structure of their forelimbs permits great flexibility for springing at prey. Many carnivores remain in and defend a single territory. Dogs, cats, bears, weasels, raccoons, hyenas, and (according to some classifications) seals and walruses are all carnivores.

  2. A plant that eats insects, such as a Venus flytrap.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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