tenrec
noun
Forms tenrecs tanrec tendrac
- noun Any of several diverse small mammals, of the family Tenrecidae, many native to Madagascar.
Synonyms
Etymology
From French tanrec, from Malagasy tàndraka or trandraka related to Malay landak (“porcupine”); English from 18th century.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A small insectivore (Centetes ecaudatus), native of Madagascar, but introduced also into the islands of Bourbon and Mauritius; --called also tanrec. The name is applied to other allied genera. See Tendrac.
Etymology [From the native name: cf. F. tanrac, tanrec, tandrec.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tenrec”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details