lemur

views updated Jun 08 2018

lemur Any of several small primitive, mainly arboreal (tree-dwelling) and nocturnal, herbivorous primates that live in Madagascar. It resembles a squirrel, but has grasping monkey-like hands with which it climbs easily. Lemurs have changed little in 50 million years, closely resembling the ancestors of man and other primates. Family Lemuridae.

World Encyclopedia

lemur

views updated May 18 2018

le·mur / ˈlēmər/ • n. an arboreal primate (Lemuridae and other families) with a pointed snout and typically a long tail, found only in Madagascar.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

Lemur

views updated May 14 2018

Lemur (ring-tailed lemurs) See LEMURIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

lemur

views updated May 14 2018

lemur XVIII. — modL. lemur, f. L. pl. lemurēs shades of the departed; so named because of its spectre-like face.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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