tapir

[ tey-per, tuh-peer ]

/ ˈteɪ pər, təˈpɪər /

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noun, plural ta·pirs, (especially collectively) ta·pir.

any of several large, stout, three-toed ungulates of the family Tapiridae, of Central and South America, the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra, somewhat resembling swine and having a long, flexible snout: all species are threatened or endangered.

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Origin of tapir

1560–70; ≪ Tupi tapira

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tapir

taper, tapir

Words nearby tapir

taphrogenesis, Tàpies, tap-in, tapioca, tapioca-plant, tapir, tapir mouth, tapis, tapis vert, tapotement, Tappan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use tapir in a sentence

Within them, young readers are asked to locate a purple tapir named Gordon, but the plot soon diverges from the activity-book formula.
The 10 Best YA and Children's Books of 2021|Shay Maunz|December 9, 2021|Time
Once she nursed a sick tapir called April through the night, playing the music of the Doors to stay awake.
Sharon Matola, devoted zookeeper and conservationist, dies at 66|Emily Langer|March 31, 2021|Washington Post
One can cite but the sole example of the American tapir where the male is smaller than the female.
The Natural Philosophy of Love|Remy de Gourmont
The tapir is a very large animal,—about five or six feet long and three or four feet high.
Martin Rattler|R.M. Ballantyne

The tapir lives as much in the water as on the land, and delights to wallow like a pig in muddy pools.
Martin Rattler|R.M. Ballantyne
Then Martin turned to fly, but at the same moment the tapir did the same, to his great delight and surprise.
Martin Rattler|R.M. Ballantyne
The tapir stopped feeding for a moment, but then recommenced, though evidently not222 with as much eagerness as before.
Popular Adventure Tales|Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for tapir

tapir

/ (ˈteɪpə) /

noun plural -pirs or -pir

any perissodactyl mammal of the genus Tapirus, such as T. indicus (Malayan tapir), of South and Central America and SE Asia, having an elongated snout, three-toed hind legs, and four-toed forelegs: family Tapiridae

Word Origin for tapir

C18: from Tupi tapiira

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

tapir

Origin of tapir

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tapir

Words nearby tapir

Words related to tapir

How to use tapir in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tapir

Word Origin for tapir