lemur

American  

[lee-mer] / ˈli mər /

noun

lemurs plural

1. any of various small, arboreal, chiefly nocturnal mammals of the superfamily Lemuroidea, inhabiting Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, inclusive of nearly 100 species, most of which have large eyes, a foxlike face, and woolly fur: lemurs, which vary significantly in size, include the world’s smallest primates.

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lemur British  

/ ˈliːmə /

noun

1. any Madagascan prosimian primate of the family Lemuridae, such as Lemur catta (the ring-tailed lemur ). They are typically arboreal, having foxy faces and long tails

2. any similar or closely related animal, such as a loris or indris

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lemur-like
  adjective
• lemurlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lemurs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lemur

First recorded in 1790–1800; from New Latin Lemur, the species name, special use of Latin lemurēs (plural) “ghosts, specters, shades of the dead,” from its nocturnal habits

Explanation

A lemur is a small, nocturnal primate that's native to Madagascar. Lemurs are distinctive for their huge, dark eyes and long tails. There are about 100 different lemur species, some nearly as small as mice and others weighing up to 20 pounds, all of which are native to Madagascar. They're unusual in many ways, from their large eyes and the fact that females are dominant. Lemurs are also believed to be the world's oldest primates. The Latin root of lemur literally means "evil spirits of the dead," a possible reference to their nocturnal nature.

Example Sentences

There’s a charity called Monkeys Without Borders, led by a woman who has “changed her name to Xotica Lemur, even though lemurs are not monkeys.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

The meeting at Duke Lemur Center in the US, led Professor Fabre and her colleagues to question the evolutionary origins of the habit.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2022

Brinc’s flagship drone, the Lemur, is currently helping conduct search-and-rescue missions in collapsed apartment blocks hit by missiles in Ukraine.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2022

“Extinction is interesting in that way,” said Matt Borths, curator of Duke University’s Lemur Center Division of Fossil Primates and co-author of the paper, in a news release.

From Washington Post • Nov. 5, 2021

The Lemur is a nocturnal animal, somewhat resembling the Monkey in general appearance, but with a long, bushy tail and sharp muzzle like a fox.

From A Series of Lessons in Gnani Yoga by Atkinson, William Walker

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