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cuscus

British

/ ˈkʌskʌs /

noun

any of several large nocturnal phalangers of the genus Phalanger, of N Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands, having dense fur, prehensile tails, large eyes, and a yellow nose

"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

Etymology

Origin of cuscus

C17: New Latin, probably from a native name in New Guinea

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The cuscus hangs on by its fingertips—or its curling, prehensile tail.

From Economist • Apr. 19, 2018

Especially as Christmas and Easter approach, other specimens find their way to the market, including crested macaques and a tree-dwelling marsupial, the adorable Sulawesi bear cuscus.

From Economist • Apr. 19, 2018

The South Pacific voyage of the northern common cuscus was likely involuntary, and likely ended—unhappily for the cuscus—in a cooking fire.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 6, 2016

Chrissy grabbed a table by the spotted cuscus, and we discussed the overnight-at-the-museum experience.

From Washington Post • Jan. 26, 2016

They carried away the whole of the cuscus and part of the kangaroo.

From In the Eastern Seas by Kingston, William Henry Giles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023