kinkajou

American  

[king-kuh-joo] / ˈkɪŋ kəˌdʒu /

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.

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kinkajou British  

/ ˈkɪŋkəˌdʒuː /

noun

1. 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)

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Etymology

Origin of kinkajou

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

Example Sentences

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.

From Science Magazine

After tragedy strikes, it’s up to the resourceful kinkajou to find his way to America, to Marta’s final show, to deliver the love letter Andrés wrote her long ago in the form of a song.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Seattle Times

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

From 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.

From Fox News