kinkajou

[ king-kuh-joo ]

noun

1. a small, brownish, arboreal mammal, Potos flavus, of Central and South American rainforests, having a prehensile tail and extrudable tongue, related to raccoons and coatis: Although kinkajous are sometimes mistaken for similarly featured ferrets, they are not related.

kinkajou

/ ˈkɪŋkəˌdʒuː /

noun

1. Also calledhoney bearpotto an arboreal fruit-eating mammal, Potos flavus, of Central and South America, with a long prehensile tail: family Procyonidae (raccoons) order Carnivora (carnivores)

Word History and Origins

Origin of kinkajou¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; from French: literally, “wolverine” (misapplied by Buffon to Potos flavus ), earlier Canadian French quincajou, perhaps a conflation of carcajou with Ojibwe kwi˙nkwaʔa˙ke˙ a cognate word; carcajou

Word History and Origins

Origin of kinkajou¹

C18: from French quincajou, from Algonquian; related to Ojibwa gwĭngwâage wolverine

Example Sentences

He kept a kinkajou, a cat-size mammal from the rainforest also known as the honey bear, as well as less cuddly companions—including a rattlesnake curled up near the door.

From Science Magazine

Vivo is not a monkey, but a kinkajou, which is not a primate but in the same family as raccoons.

From Los Angeles Times

First up: this animated family comedy about an adventurous kinkajou who travels from Havana to Miami.

From Seattle Times

“It was not a nice kinkajou. It was super aggressive,” the man’s girlfriend told The Palm Beach Post.

From Washington Times

The kinkajou bit the 37-year-old man’s foot and scratched his leg but didn't seriously injure him, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report obtained by Fox News.

From Fox News