platypus
[ plat-i-puhs, -poos ]
/ ˈplæt ɪ pəs, -ˌpʊs /
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noun, plural plat·y·pus·es, plat·y·pi [plat-i-pahy]. /ˈplæt ɪˌpaɪ/.
a small, aquatic, egg-laying monotreme, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, of Australia and Tasmania, having webbed feet, a tail like that of a beaver, a sensitive bill resembling that of a duck, and, in adult males, venom-injecting spurs on the ankles of the hind limbs, used primarily for fighting with other males during the breeding season.
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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Also called duckbill, duckbilled platypus.
Words nearby platypus
platykurtic, platykurtosis, platypellic pelvis, platypnea, platypod, platypus, platyrrhine, platysma, platyspondylia, plaudit, Plauen
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for platypus
Word Origin for platypus
C18: New Latin, from platy- + -pus, from Greek pous foot
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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