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 • Oct. 11, 2023

Lin-Manuel Miranda voices the titular Vivo, a singer-musician kinkajou; the Buena Vista Social Club legend Juan de Marcos plays Andrés, Vivo’s owner; and Gloria Estefan plays Marta, Andrés’s old musical partner and unrequited love.

From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2021

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

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

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

From The Voyage of the Beagle by Darwin, Charles