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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

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See Examples For:

cuscus

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

But it was momentous: cuscus bones excavated from the floor of a New Ireland cave are some of the oldest archeological evidence of humans transporting an animal species to a new environment.

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

The deer and pig are found in the islands, and also a species of cuscus.

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