tapir
[ tey-per, tuh-peer ]
/ ˈteɪ pər, təˈpɪər /
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.
RELATED WORDS
hog, horse, cow, elephant, pig, swine, cattle, camel, deer, rhinoceros, giraffe, llama, buffalo, hippopotamus
Nearby words
- taphouse,
- taphrogenesis,
- tapioca,
- tapioca snow,
- tapioca-plant,
- tapir mouth,
- tapis,
- tapis vert,
- tapotement,
- tappan
Origin of tapir
1560–70; ≪ Tupi tapira
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web 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
1774, perhaps from French tapir (1580), ultimately from Tupi (Brazil) tapira.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper