tapir

ta·pir  (tpr, t-pîr)

n.

Any of several large, chiefly nocturnal, odd-toed ungulates of the genus Tapirus of tropical America, the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra, related to the horse and the rhinoceros, and having a heavy body, short legs, and a long, fleshy, flexible upper lip.

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[Perhaps French, ultimately from Tupi tapiira, tapir.]

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tapir [tape-er]

Noun

a piglike mammal of South and Central America and SE Asia, with a long snout, three-toed hind legs, and four-toed forelegs [S American Indian tapiira]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

tapir - large inoffensive chiefly nocturnal ungulate of tropical America and southeast Asia having a heavy body and fleshy snout odd-toed ungulate, perissodactyl, perissodactyl mammal - placental mammals having hooves with an odd number of toes on each foot genus Tapirus, Tapirus - type genus of the Tapiridae New World tapir, Tapirus terrestris - a tapir found in South America and Central America Indian tapir, Malayan tapir, Tapirus indicus - a tapir found in Malaya and Sumatra