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View synonyms for lemur

lemur

[ lee-mer ]

noun

  1. any of various small, arboreal, chiefly nocturnal mammals of the superfamily Lemuroidea, inhabiting Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, inclusive of nearly 100 species, most of which have large eyes, a foxlike face, and woolly fur: lemurs, which vary significantly in size, include the world’s smallest primates.


lemur

/ ˈliːmə /

noun

  1. any Madagascan prosimian primate of the family Lemuridae, such as Lemur catta (the ring-tailed lemur ). They are typically arboreal, having foxy faces and long tails
  2. any similar or closely related animal, such as a loris or indris


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Derived Forms

  • ˈlemur-ˌlike, adjective

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Other Words From

  • lemur·like adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of lemur1

First recorded in 1790–1800; from New Latin Lemur, the species name, special use of Latin lemurēs (plural) “ghosts, specters, shades of the dead,” from its nocturnal habits

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Word History and Origins

Origin of lemur1

C18: New Latin, adapted from Latin lemurēs ghosts; so named by Linnaeus for its ghost-like face and nocturnal habits

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Example Sentences

Preferably forests with lots of big-eyed, fluffy lemurs to tug heartstrings elsewhere in the world.

They explain the evolution of monkeys, elephants, kangaroos, rodents, lemurs—and us.

Two years on, says Borgerson, who plans to publish a paper on her findings, lemur poaching in the area has gone down by 30-50%.

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Locals in the UNESCO World Heritage Site were eating lemurs and other endangered animals to add protein to their otherwise spare diets.

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The lemurs reside at the Reniala Nature Reserve in southwest Madagascar.

He took to Velcroing a stuffed lemur to his arm, christening it George.

The ruffed lemur is the largest of these curious animals, being about as big as a good-sized cat.

There are two lemur-like animals which are so extraordinary that each of them has been put into a family all by itself.

The aye-aye is a lemur, but it differs singularly from all its congeners, and still more from all apes.

Galeopithecus “or the flying Lemur” is mentioned in the corresponding discussion in the Origin, Ed.

Sem′i-an′thracite, coal intermediate between anthracite and semi-bituminous coal; Sem′i-ape, a lemur.

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LemuelLemuralia