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Glite Dictionary
pallid bat

pallid bat

8.7
A bat with large ears and pale yellow fur that lives in western North America caves
  • noun
  • /ˈpælɪd bæt/
  • US
translation icon : murciélago pálido
  • Lewis SE. 1996. Low roost-site fidelity in pallid bats: Associated factors and effect on group stability. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 39: 335-344.

Examples

  • (a) A cluster of female pallid bats (Antrozous pallidus). Colony members in this species warm each other in their communal roosts.

    Academic text (2008)

  • During a night hike, we spotted several pallid bats fluttering around as they emerged from their rocky roosts.

  • A group of pallid bats was hanging from the ceiling in the cave, their pale fur almost glowing in the dim light.

  • The pallid bat, known for its large ears and light-colored fur, is often found roosting in caves across western North America.

Synonyms

Antrozous pallidus
vspallid bat
  • Specialized
9.9

A light yellow bat with big ears that lives in caves and eats insects

is the common English name used in everyday contexts

Surface Forms

pallid bat singular
pallid bats plural

Morphology

pallid + bat

The compound is a straightforward adjective + noun combination: 'pallid' (pale) modifying 'bat' (the mammal), so its meaning — a pale-colored bat species — is directly derivable from the constituents. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and would be immediately understandable to a learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The name pallid bat comes from a simple description: pallid means 'pale' and bat is the flying animal. People gave this name because the bat has pale yellowish fur and large ears, so the name now refers to that pale-coloured bat.