Malayan tapir
- noun
- /məˈleɪən ˈteɪpər/
:
tapir malayo
- During our trip to Malaysia, we saw a Malayan tapir at the wildlife reserve.
Examples
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The Malayan tapir is easily recognized by its black and white markings.
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The Malayan tapir is a unique species.
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Conservationists are concerned about the declining population of the Malayan tapir.
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Look at that Malayan tapir resting under the tree!
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The Malayan tapir is easily recognized by its unique black and white coloring.
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In the rainforest exhibit, visitors can see the Malayan tapir roaming among the trees.
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The conservation team is working hard to protect the Malayan tapir from extinction.
Synonyms
A large plant-eating mammal with black and white fur from Southeast Asian forests
A large black and white animal like a pig with a short flexible nose that lives in Southeast Asian forests
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a straightforward adjectival modifier: 'Malayan' specifies origin and 'tapir' names the animal, so the meaning 'a tapir from Malaya/Malaysia' is directly derivable from the parts. This adjective+noun species naming pattern is common cross-linguistically and would be obvious to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Malayan tapir comes from Malayan (meaning 'from Malaya', the animal's home) and tapir, a local word for a pig-like animal with a short trunk. So the name simply means the tapir that lives in Malaya and Sumatra, the black-and-white forest animal.
