kinkajou

[king-kuh-joo]

noun

a brownish, arboreal mammal, Potos flavus, of Central and South America, having a prehensile tail, related to the raccoon and coati.

Origin of kinkajou

1790–1800; < French: wolverine (misapplied by Buffon to Potos flavus), earlier quincajou, perhaps a conflation of carcajou carcajou with Ojibwa kwi˙nkwaʔa˙ke˙ a cognate word

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for kinkajou

Historical Examples of kinkajou

The Kinkajou (Cercoleptes caudivolvulus) of Demerara belongs to this family.
Natural History in Anecdote
Various
This disposition of the generative parts is still further modified in a few animals, such as the Rat and the Kinkajou.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
They much resemble the kinkajou in external appearance, but the skull and teeth are more like those of Procyon and Nasua.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4
Various
It is also known as the aswail and the honey-bear, the last name being also given to the Malay bear and the kinkajou.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 4
Various

British Dictionary definitions for kinkajou

kinkajou

noun

Also called: honey bear, potto an arboreal fruit-eating mammal, Potos flavus, of Central and South America, with a long prehensile tail: family Procyonidae (raccoons) order Carnivora (carnivores)

Word Origin for kinkajou

C18: from French quincajou, from Algonquian; related to Ojibwa gwĭngwâage wolverine

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

Word Origin and History for kinkajou

1796, from French (1670s), from an Algonquian word.