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capybara
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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See also: Capybara
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Spanish capibara, from Portuguese capivara, from Old Tupi kapi'iûara (literally “grass eater”).
Pronunciation
Noun
capybara (plural capybaras)
- A large semi-aquatic South American rodent of the genus Hydrochoerus.
- Synonyms: water pig, water hog, carpinchoe, cabiai
- The greater capybara.
- 1876, William H. G. Kingston, The Three Lieutenants, published 2010, page 430:
- “Our fires burned well,” continued Tom, “and we roasted our young capybara to perfection; we only wanted salt and pepper, and an onion or two to make it delicious. […] "
- 1914, Theodore Roosevelt, Through the Brazilian Wilderness, published 2004, page 53:
- It was tenanted by the small caymans and by capybaras—the largest known rodent, a huge aquatic guinea-pig, the size of a small sheep.
- 2009, The Illustrated Atlas of Wildlife, page 106:
- The largest of all the 1,729 rodent species, the semi-aquatic capybara is extremely agile in the water, using its partly webbed toes like tiny paddles. Troops containing up to 20 animals live along riverbanks where young capybaras are sometimes preyed on by caimans.
Derived terms
Translations
Hydrochoerus
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Further reading
- “capybara”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- “capybara”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “capybara”, in OED Online
, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
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