Lemur

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See also: lemur, lémur, lèmur, and lemúr

Translingual

Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)

Etymology

From Latin lemurēs (spirits of the dead). The name was originally given to the 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 slender loris. In 1758, Linnaeus added—among others—the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) to the genus Lemur. All other species, including the slender loris, were eventually moved to other genera. In time, the word became the colloquial name for all primates endemic to Madagascar.[1]

Proper noun

Lemur m

  1. A taxonomic genus within the family Lemuridae – ring-tailed lemur.

Hypernyms

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Derived terms

References

  1. ^ A. R. Dunkel with J. S. Zijlstra and C. P. Groves (2011-2012) “Giant Rabbits, Marmosets, and British Comedies: Etymology of Lemur Names, Part 1”, in Lemur News, volume 16, archived from the original on 6 November 2016, pages 64–70.

German

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /leˈmuːɐ̯/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

Lemur m (weak, genitive Lemuren, plural Lemuren)

  1. lemur (primate native to Madagascar)
  2. (Roman mythology, in the plural) lemures (spirits or ghosts of the dead)

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading