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Glite Dictionary
freetailed bat

freetailed bat

8.8
A small fast bat that eats insects and has a long tail that sticks out past its wing skin
  • noun
  • /ˈfriːteɪld bæt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : murciélago de cola libre
  • A freetailed bat can catch insects mid-flight thanks to its agility.

Examples

  • Scientists observed thousands of freetailed bats emerging from the cave at dusk.

  • The Mexican freetailed bat is one of the most common bats in Texas.

  • The freetailed bat is known for its speed.

  • Many freetailed bats are found in warm climates.

  • A freetailed bat can catch insects mid-flight thanks to its incredible speed and agility.

  • Scientists observed thousands of freetailed bats emerging from the cave at dusk to hunt for insects.

  • The Mexican freetailed bat, known for its long tail and adept flying abilities, is a common sight in Texas.

Synonyms

bat
vsfreetailed bat
201 1.0

A small animal that flies at night and finds food by sound

is narrower, referring only to this small warm-region insectivorous type
free-tailed bat
vsfreetailed bat
1 8.5

A small bat that flies fast, eats insects, and has a tail sticking out past the skin between its wings

is the identical term written without a hyphen
freetail
vsfreetailed bat
  • Specialized
9.9

A small fast bat with a long tail that sticks out and eats insects

is the identical term written as two separate words

Surface Forms

freetailed bat singular
freetailed bats plural

Morphology

freetailed + bat

The compound transparently signals a bat with a 'free' tail (i.e., the tail is not enclosed in the tail membrane), so a learner who knows 'free', 'tail' and 'bat' can infer a bat with a distinctive tail. However, 'freetailed' is a specialized zoological term and the precise anatomical meaning (tail extending beyond the tail membrane) may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner, making comprehension partial rather than fully transparent.

Etymology

Freetailed bat gets its name from the bat's visible tail that sticks out past the thin skin between its legs, so the word free describes how the tail is not fully inside the membrane. That's why the name refers to small, fast, insect-eating bats with a long tail.