tamandua

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

/ təˈmæn du ə, təˌmæn duˈɑ /

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.

Words nearby tamandua

tam-tam, tamable, tamagotchi, tamale, taman, tamandua, tamar, tamara, tamarac, tamarack, tamarao

Also tam·an·du

[tam-uh n-doo] /ˈtæm ənˌdu/.

Origin of tamandua

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tamandua

Tamandua has also retia, which are also found in the Spider-monkeys.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
It is a very small creature—not larger than the common grey squirrel—with a prehensile tail like the tamandua.
The Forest Exiles|Mayne Reid
Seeing itself intercepted on both sides, the tamandua began crawling up towards the topmost branches.
Afloat in the Forest|Mayne Reid
Dropping into the water, he swam towards the isthmus with all his strength, and reached the tree before the tamandua.
Afloat in the Forest|Mayne Reid

Figs. 107 and 108 show the entire abdominal portion of the alimentary tract in Tamandua bivittata, the little ant-eater of Brazil.
The Anatomy of the Human Peritoneum and Abdominal Cavity|George. S. Huntington

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