tree shrew


noun
  1. any of several insectivorous, arboreal mammals of the family Tupaiidae, of southern Asia and adjacent islands, resembling a squirrel and having a long snout.

Origin of tree shrew

1
First recorded in 1890–95

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tree shrew in a sentence

  • It is fairly certain that if the Tree-shrew is an enemy of butterflies in the wild state it is a discriminating one.

    Mimicry in Butterflies | Reginald Crundall Punnett
  • Finn further experimented with the tree-shrew or Tupaia (Tupaia ellioti), which feeds largely on insects.

    The Making of Species | Douglas Dewar

British Dictionary definitions for tree shrew

tree shrew

noun
  1. any of numerous small arboreal mammals of the family Tupaiidae and order Scandentia, of SE Asia, having large eyes and resembling squirrels

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012