potto

[ pot-oh ]

/ ˈpɒt oʊ /

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noun, plural pot·tos.

a small arboreal mammal, Perodictus potto, in the loris family, similar in appearance and behavior to the kinkajou and olingo: classified as the sole species in its genus, but its subspecies are significantly varied.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of potto

First recorded in 1760–70; from a Niger-Congo language, perhaps Wolof pata “tailless monkey,” or Twi apɔsɔ “fierce monkeylike animal”

Words nearby potto

potter wasp, pottery, potting shed, potting soil, pottle, potto, Pott's disease, Pott's fracture, Pottstown, Pottsville, potty

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use potto in a sentence

The other boys, when they could do so without being seen by Potto Jumbo, amused themselves by ridiculing and teasing Oliver.
In the Eastern Seas|W.H.G. Kingston
Throwing off my jacket, before Potto Jumbo could cry out, or any one else attempt to stop me, I was overboard.
In the Eastern Seas|W.H.G. Kingston
A shout of applause from Potto Jumbo reached us, and in another minute he and Merlin got up to the life-buoy.
In the Eastern Seas|W.H.G. Kingston
Having thus delivered himself, Potto drew his head in within his den.
In the Eastern Seas|W.H.G. Kingston

Potto Jumbo especially was heartily amused, and lay back on the grass shaking his sides with laughter.
In the Eastern Seas|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for potto

potto

/ (ˈpɒtəʊ) /

noun plural -tos

a short-tailed prosimian primate, Perodicticus potto, having vertebral spines protruding through the skin in the neck region, native to tropical forests in West and Central Africa: family Lorisidae

golden potto another name for angwantibo

another name for kinkajou

Word Origin for potto

C18: of West African origin; compare Wolof pata type of tail-less monkey

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012