unai
- noun
- US
:
unau
- Researchers observed a wild unai feeding high in the rainforest canopy.
Examples
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The unai is known for its slow movements.
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The unai is known for being more active at night than other sloths.
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Compared to the three-toed variety, the unai is somewhat smaller and faster.
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I saw a unai hanging from a tree.
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The unai is known for its slow movements and long claws used for climbing trees.
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While exploring the rainforest, we spotted a small unai hanging from a branch.
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The zookeeper explained that the unai primarily feeds on leaves and fruits.
Synonyms
16
2.3
A slow animal that lives in trees and hangs upside down while eating leaves
1
5.5
A slow tree animal from Central and South America with two long claws on each front foot
A sloth that lives in trees in Central and South America with two long claws on each front foot
A slow tree-dwelling animal with two long claws on each front foot, found in Central and South American rainforests
A slow animal from South America that lives in trees and has two long claws on each front foot
Surface Forms
Etymology
Unai comes from a Native South American language and was borrowed into Portuguese and Spanish as the 'local name for the two-toed sloth'. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine people in the rainforest using that simple name for the animal they saw, so unai today means that small, two-toed sloth.