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carnivorous

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car⋅niv⋅o⋅rous

  [kahr-niv-er-uhs]
Use carnivorous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. flesh-eating: A dog is a carnivorous animal.
2. of the carnivores.
Origin:
1640–50; < L carnivorus, equiv. to carni- (comb. form of carō flesh) + -vorus -vorous

Related forms:
car⋅niv⋅o⋅rism, noun
car⋅niv⋅o⋅rous⋅ly, adverb
car⋅niv⋅o⋅rous⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. meat-eating, predatory, predacious.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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car·niv·o·rous   (kär-nĭv'ər-əs)   
adj.  

  1. Of or relating to carnivores.

  2. Flesh-eating or predatory: a carnivorous bird.

  3. Characterized by destructive or predatory behavior or instincts: "a city becoming increasingly carnivorous as it becomes decreasingly serious about governance" (George F. Will).

  4. Botany Capable of trapping insects or other small organisms and absorbing nutrients from them; insectivorous.


[From Latin carnivorus : carō, carn-, flesh; see sker-1 in Indo-European roots + -vorus, -vorous.]
car·niv'o·rous·ly adv., car·niv'o·rous·ness n.
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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Word Origin & History

carnivorous 
1646, from L. carnivorus "flesh-eating," from caro "flesh" + vorare "to devour." Carnivora was applied to a large order of flesh-eating mammals (1830) by Fr. naturalist Baron Cuvier (1769-1832); carnivore is from 1854.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: car·niv·o·rous
Pronunciation: kär-'niv-(&-)r&s
Function: adjective
1 : subsisting or feeding on animaltissues
2 : of or relating to the carnivores —car·niv·o·rous·ly adverb —car·niv·o·rous·ness noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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