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lemur

le·mur

UK/ˈliːmə(ɹ)/ US/ˈlimɜr/ uncommon dated obsolete

noun

1.

large-eyed arboreal prosimian having foxy faces and long furry tails

Origin

From Latin lemurēs (“spirits of the dead”). The name was originally given to the red slender loris (then Lemur tardigradus) in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus. According to Linnaeus, the name was selected because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements of the red slender loris. In 1758, Linnaeus added, among others, the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) to the genus Lemur. All other species, including the red slender loris, were eventually moved to other genera. In time, the word became the colloquial name for all primates endemic to Madagascar.

Phrases

  • bamboo lemur terms derived from lemur (noun)
  • Bemaraha woolly lemur terms derived from lemur (noun)
  • black lemur terms derived from lemur (noun)
  • black-and-white ruffed lemur terms derived from lemur (noun)
  • Cleese's woolly lemur terms derived from lemur (noun)
  • dwarf lemur terms derived from lemur (noun)
  • fat-tailed lemur. fat-tailed dwarf lemur terms derived from lemur (noun)
  • flying lemur terms derived from lemur (noun)

Related words

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.