loris

American  

[lawr-is, lohr-] / ˈlɔr ɪs, ˈloʊr- /

noun

1. any of various small, arboreal, nocturnal mammals of the family Lorisidae, with large eyes and lacking a tail, comprising two genera, Loris (theslender lorises ) and Nycticebus (theslow lorises ).

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loris British  

/ ˈlɔːrɪs /

noun

1. any of several omnivorous nocturnal slow-moving prosimian primates of the family Lorisidae, of S and SE Asia, esp Loris tardigradus ( slow loris ) and Nycticebus coucang ( slender loris ), having vestigial digits and no tails

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Etymology

Origin of loris

First recorded in 1765–75; from New Latin; the genus name, from Dutch loeris “simpleton,” equivalent to loer “stupid person” (from French lourd “heavy, clumsy,” from Latin lūridus ) + -is; see origin at lurid, -ish ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

loris

"Although our research has focused on the Bengal slow loris and demonstrated the consequences of such practices, we believe similar patterns likely affect many other species."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 3, 2026

A zoo is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy slow loris twins.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2025

Conservationists previously built artificial bridges to help other treebound species such as the Bornean orangutan and the Javan slow loris.

From Science Magazine ● Oct. 15, 2020

Building bridges for the slow loris, says Nekaris, “has started to build bridges within the community”.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 13, 2020

Their most peculiar forms are the macaws on the one hand, and the brush-tailed loris on the other.

From The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, September 1879 by Various