Wiktionary

Lemur

See also: lemur, lémur, lèmur, and lemúr

Translingual

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Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)

Etymology

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From Latin lemurēs (“spirits of the dead”). The name was originally given to the slender loris (then Lemur tardigradus) in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus. According to Linnaeus, the name was selected because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements of the slender loris. In 1758, Linnaeus added—among others—the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) to the genus Lemur. All other species, including the slender loris, were eventually moved to other genera. In time, the word became the colloquial name for all primates endemic to Madagascar.[1]

Proper noun

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Lemur m

  1. A taxonomic genus within the family Lemuridae – ring-tailed lemur.

Hypernyms

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Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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References

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  1. ^ A. R. Dunkel with J. S. Zijlstra and C. P. Groves (2011-2012) “Giant Rabbits, Marmosets, and British Comedies: Etymology of Lemur Names, Part 1”, in Lemur News‎[1], volume 16, archived from the original on 6 November 2016, pages 64–70.

German

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /leˈmuːɐ̯/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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Lemur m (weak, genitive Lemuren, plural Lemuren)

  1. lemur (primate native to Madagascar)
  2. (Roman mythology, in the plural) lemures (spirits or ghosts of the dead)

Declension

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Declension of Lemur [masculine, weak]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Lemur die Lemuren
genitive eines des Lemuren der Lemuren
dative einem dem Lemuren den Lemuren
accusative einen den Lemuren die Lemuren

Derived terms

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Further reading

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