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; cf. carcajou

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kinkajou

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 ● Oct. 11, 2023

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 ● Aug. 5, 2021

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

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2021

I asked on a whim one evening, glancing up from my laptop while reading a news story about an elderly Florida woman who woke up one day with a kinkajou on her chest.

From Slate ● Apr. 3, 2016

Cuvier says the kinkajou is found in the larger Antilles, but this is doubtful.

From The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin

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