tenrec
[ ten-rek ]
/ ˈtɛn rɛk /
|
noun
any of several insectivorous mammals of the family Tenrecidae, of Madagascar, having a long, pointed snout, certain species of which are spiny and tailless.
Nearby words
tenpenny, tenpin, tenpin bowling, tenpins, tenpounder, tenrec, tens, tensas, tense, tense logic, tensegrity
Also tanrec.
Origin of tenrec
1720–30; < French < Malagasy tàndraka
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for tenrec
In this family and in the tenrec most of the species are protected by spines implanted in the skin-muscle, or panniculus carnosus.
In the tenrec similarly situated glands discharge by pores opening at the bottom of deep pits.
British Dictionary definitions for tenrec
tenrec
/ (ˈtɛnrɛk) /
noun
any small mammal, such as Tenrec ecaudatus (tailless tenrec), of the Madagascan family Tenrecidae, resembling hedgehogs or shrews: order Insectivora (insectivores)
Word Origin for tenrec
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