kinkajou
/ˈkɪŋkəˌd͡ʒuː/ noun
Forms kinkajous kincajou
- noun Potos flavus, a carnivorous mammal of Central America and South America with a long, prehensile tail, related to the raccoon.
Synonyms
honey bear potto Potos flavus Potos caudivolvulus Perodicticus potto
Etymology
From French quincajou, from an Algonquian word, probably originally meaning ‘wolverine’ (compare Algonquin Kwingwaage, Ojibwe gwiingwa'aage (“wolverine”)), which was later transferred to the South American animal. Related to carcajou.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A nocturnal carnivorous mammal (Cercoleptes caudivolvulus) of South America, about as large as a full-grown cat. It has a prehensile tail and lives in trees. It is the only representative of a distinct family (Cercoleptidæ) allied to the raccoons. Called also potto, and honey bear.
Etymology [F. kinkajou, quincajou, from the native American name.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “kinkajou”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details