Platypus
[plat-i-puh s, -poo s] /ˈplæt ɪ pəs, -ˌpʊs/
noun, plural platypuses, platypi
[plat-i-pahy] /ˈplæt ɪˌpaɪ/ (Show IPA)
1.
a small, aquatic, egg-laying monotreme, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, of Australia and Tasmania, having webbed feet, a tail like that of a beaver, a sensitive bill resembling that of a duck, and, in adult males, venom-injecting spurs on the ankles of the hind limbs, used primarily for fighting with other males during the breeding season.
/ˈplætɪpəs/
noun (pl) -puses
1.
See duck-billed platypus
n.
Australian duck-mole, 1799, from Modern Latin, from Greek platypous, literally “flat-footed,” from platys “broad, flat” (see plaice (n.)) + pous “foot” (see foot).
Orig. the generic name, but, having already been given to a genus of beetles, it was in 1800 changed for Ornithorhyncus. [OED]
Read Also:
- Platyrrhine
[plat-i-rahyn, -rin] /ˈplæt ɪˌraɪn, -rɪn/ adjective 1. Anthropology. having a broad, flat-bridged nose. 2. belonging or pertaining to the primate group or superfamily Platyrrhini, comprising the New World monkeys, having a broad, flat nose and usually a long, prehensile tail. noun 3. a platyrrhine animal. /ˈplætɪˌraɪn/ adjective 1. (esp of New World monkeys) having widely […]
- Platysma
[pluh-tiz-muh] /pləˈtɪz mə/ noun, plural platysmas, platysmata [pluh-tiz-muh-tuh] /pləˈtɪz mə tə/ (Show IPA). Anatomy. 1. a broad, thin muscle on each side of the neck, extending from the upper part of the shoulder to the corner of the mouth, the action of which wrinkles the skin of the neck and depresses the corner of the […]
- Platyspondylia
platyspondylia plat·y·spon·dyl·i·a (plāt’ĭ-spŏn-dĭl’ē-ə) or plat·y·spon·dyl·i·sis (-dĭl’ĭ-sĭs) n. Flatness of the vertebral bodies.
- Plaudit
[plaw-dit] /ˈplɔ dɪt/ noun, Usually, plaudits 1. an enthusiastic expression of approval: Her portrayal of Juliet won the plaudits of the critics. 2. a demonstration or round of applause, as for some approved or admired performance. /ˈplɔːdɪt/ noun (usually pl) 1. an expression of enthusiastic approval or approbation 2. a round of applause n. 1620s, […]
- Plaudits
[plaw-dit] /ˈplɔ dɪt/ noun, Usually, plaudits 1. an enthusiastic expression of approval: Her portrayal of Juliet won the plaudits of the critics. 2. a demonstration or round of applause, as for some approved or admired performance. /ˈplɔːdɪt/ noun (usually pl) 1. an expression of enthusiastic approval or approbation 2. a round of applause n. 1620s, […]