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tenrec

[ten-rek]
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noun
  1. any of several insectivorous mammals of the family Tenrecidae, of Madagascar, having a long, pointed snout, certain species of which are spiny and tailless.
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Also tanrec.

Origin of tenrec

1720–30; < French < Malagasy tàndraka
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tenrec

Historical Examples

  • In this family and in the tenrec most of the species are protected by spines implanted in the skin-muscle, or panniculus carnosus.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 6

    Various

  • In the tenrec similarly situated glands discharge by pores opening at the bottom of deep pits.

British Dictionary definitions for tenrec

tenrec

noun
  1. any small mammal, such as Tenrec ecaudatus (tailless tenrec), of the Madagascan family Tenrecidae, resembling hedgehogs or shrews: order Insectivora (insectivores)
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Word Origin

C18: via French from Malagasy tràndraka
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