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Glite Dictionary
leaf-nosed bat

leaf-nosed bat

7.9
A bat with a leaflike flap of skin on its nose that helps it find food at night
  • noun
  • /liːf-noʊzd bæt/
translation icon : murciélago de nariz en forma de hoja
  • The leaf-nosed bat emits sounds through its nose, which helps it locate insects in the dark.
  • New World leaf-nosed bats

Examples

  • Scientists studied the leaf-nosed bat to understand how its unique nose structure aids in echolocation.

  • A leaf-nosed bat from the New World.

    Blog text (14)

  • To explore this idea, the investigators turned to the heterogeneous family of Phyllostomidae, the New World leaf-nosed bats.

    Academic text (2004)

  • In tropical regions, the leaf-nosed bat plays a crucial role in pest control by feeding on moths and beetles.

Synonyms

leafnose bat
vsleaf-nosed bat
  • Specialized
8.9

A bat with a leaf-shaped flap at the end of its nose

is the same but written with a hyphen in other forms
Phyllostomatidae
vsleaf-nosed bat
  • Specialized
9.9

Bats from the Americas that have a leaf-shaped growth on the nose

is the broader group that covers this family and others
Hipposideridae
vsleaf-nosed bat
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of bats with a leaf-shaped nose that use sound to find their way

is the broader group that includes this specific family
Rhinolophidae
vsleaf-nosed bat
  • Specialized
9.9

Bats with a horseshoe-shaped fold of skin on the nose that use sound to find things

describes bats with a leaflike nose flap rather than a horseshoe fold

Surface Forms

leaf-nosed bat singular
leaf-nosed bats plural

Morphology

leaf-nosed + bat

The compound is transparently built from 'leaf' + 'nosed' (i.e. having a nose like a leaf) modifying 'bat', so the meaning 'a bat with a leaflike flap on its nose' is directly inferable. This adjective+noun composition follows common English compounding patterns and is cross‑linguistically straightforward, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily understand it.

Etymology

Leaf-nosed bat: The name leaf-nosed bat comes from the flap of skin on the animal's nose that looks like a leaf. That leaf helps the bat aim the sounds it uses to find food, so the name describes both how it looks and how it works.