tamandua

[ tuh-man-doo-uh, tuh-man-doo-ah ]

/ təˈmæn du ə, təˌmæn duˈɑ /

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noun

a tree-dwelling, tropical American anteater, Tamandua tetradactyla, having a prehensile tail, four-clawed forelimbs, and coarse, tan hair with black markings on the trunk.

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Also tam·an·du

[tam-uhn-doo]. /ˈtæm ənˌdu/.

Origin of tamandua

1605–15; <Portuguese <Tupi: literally, ant-trapper

Words nearby tamandua

tam, tamable, Tamagotchi, tamale, Taman, tamandua, Tamar, tamara, Tamarac, tamarack, tamarao

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

How to use tamandua in a sentence

The great ant-eater (Myrmecophăga jubata) lives on the ground; the much smaller Tamandua and Cycloturus are arboreal.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
Tamandua, t-man′dū-a, n. an arboreal ant-eater with prehensile tail.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
The tamandua is seen climbing the loftiest monarchs of the forest in search of its insect prey.
The Western World|W.H.G. Kingston
I observe that Rudolphi distinctly refers to this edentate as the tamandua.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold

Tamandua has also retia, which are also found in the Spider-monkeys.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard

British Dictionary definitions for tamandua

tamandua

tamandu (ˈtæmənˌduː)

/ (ˌtæmənˈdʊə) /

noun

a small arboreal edentate mammal, Tamandua tetradactyla, of Central and South America, having a prehensile tail and tubular mouth specialized for feeding on termites: family MyrmecophagidaeAlso called: lesser anteater

Word Origin for tamandua

C17: via Portuguese from Tupi: ant trapper, from taixi ant + mondê to catch

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