honey bear
- noun
- US
:
oso melero
- The honey bear uses its long tail to grasp tree branches as it searches for fruit.
Examples
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The honey bear climbed the tree effortlessly.
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Children were excited to see a honey bear climbing high in the rainforest canopy.
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Because the honey bear is nocturnal, it is most active at night.
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A group of honey bears was spotted in the rainforest.
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The honey bear climbed the tree effortlessly, searching for ripe fruits to eat.
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In the tropical rainforest, the honey bear swung from branch to branch with its long prehensile tail.
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Wildlife enthusiasts were excited to spot a honey bear foraging for fruit among the lush foliage.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A small nocturnal animal related to raccoons from Central and South America with a long tail that can hold branches
A small rainforest animal like a monkey that eats fruit and uses its long tail to hold branches
An animal that lives in trees, eats fruit, and has a long grasping tail
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally clear: a B1 learner who knows 'honey' and 'bear' will reasonably infer an animal associated with honey (i.e. a bear-like animal that eats or is linked to honey). However, the specific referent and detailed properties (a small arboreal tropical mammal with a prehensile tail that is not a true bear) are not predictable from the parts, so the meaning is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Honey bear got its name from people seeing a small, bear-like animal climb trees to eat honey and fruit and use its long tail to hold branches. The image of honey and bear made the name stick, so today 'honey bear' means 'a small tropical animal that lives in trees and eats fruit and honey'.