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Glite Dictionary
ring-tailed lemur

ring-tailed lemur

1 5.0
A small animal from Madagascar with a long tail that has black and white rings
  • noun
  • /ˈrɪŋˌteɪld ˈliːmər/
translation icon : lémur de cola anillada
  • In Madagascar, the ring-tailed lemur is often seen jumping from tree to tree.
  • a 32-year-old ring-tailed lemur
  • an old ring-tailed lemur
  • a year-old ring-tailed lemur

Examples

  • He had a ring-tailed lemur

    Rugrats Go Wild (2003)

  • The ring-tailed lemur is known for its distinctive black and white striped tail.

  • A group of ring-tailed lemurs can often be found grooming each other in the sun.

Synonyms

Lemur catta
vsring-tailed lemur
  • Specialized
8.0

A type of lemur from Madagascar with a long bushy tail with black and white rings

is the common descriptive name used in everyday speech
Madagascar cat
vsring-tailed lemur
8.0

A small lemur from Madagascar with a long tail that has black and white rings

is the standard descriptive name used more widely and clearly

Surface Forms

ring-tailed lemur singular
ring-tailed lemurs plural

Morphology

ring-tailed + lemur

The noun phrase is compositionally built: the adjective 'ring-tailed' describes a tail with rings and 'lemur' names the animal, so a learner who knows 'ring', 'tail' and 'lemur' can infer it refers to a lemur with a tail marked by rings. This follows a common adjective+noun pattern found across languages, making the meaning immediately derivable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Ring-tailed lemur comes from the animal's long tail that has black and white rings; people used that clear picture to name it, so the name helps you remember this lemur by its striped tail.