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kinkajou

[king-kuh-joo]

noun

  1. a small, brownish, arboreal mammal, Potos flavus, of Central and South American rainforests, having a prehensile tail and extrudable tongue, related to raccoons and coatis: Although kinkajous are sometimes mistaken for similarly featured ferrets, they are not related.



kinkajou

/ ˈkɪŋkəˌdʒuː /

noun

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

“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of kinkajou1

First recorded in 1790–1800; from French: literally, “wolverine” (misapplied by Buffon to Potos flavus ), earlier Canadian French quincajou, perhaps a conflation of carcajou with Ojibwe kwi˙nkwaʔa˙ke˙ a cognate word; carcajou
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Word History and Origins

Origin of kinkajou1

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

He kept a kinkajou, a cat-size mammal from the rainforest also known as the honey bear, as well as less cuddly companions—including a rattlesnake curled up near the door.

Read more on Science Magazine

Vivo is not a monkey, but a kinkajou, which is not a primate but in the same family as raccoons.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

First up: this animated family comedy about an adventurous kinkajou who travels from Havana to Miami.

Read more on Seattle Times

“It was not a nice kinkajou. It was super aggressive,” the man’s girlfriend told The Palm Beach Post.

Read more on Washington Times

The kinkajou bit the 37-year-old man’s foot and scratched his leg but didn't seriously injure him, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report obtained by Fox News.

Read more on Fox News

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