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Aye-aye definition

īī
A nocturnal lemur (Daubentonia madagascariensis) native to the rainforests of eastern and northwestern Madagascar, having prominent ears, a long bushy tail, a thin elongated middle finger, and rodentlike teeth.
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An arboreal, nocturnal prosimian primate (Daubentonia madagascariensis) of Madagascar, with shaggy, generally dark-brown fur, large ears, fingerlike claws, and a long, bushy tail.
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A singular nocturnal quadruped, the lemur Daubentonia madagascariensis, found in Madagascar and remarkable for its long fingers, sharp nails, and rodent-like incisor teeth.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
aye-aye
Plural:
aye-ayes

Origin of aye-aye

  • French from Malagasy aiay

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From French aye-aye, from Malagasy hay-hay, ahay, or aiay.

    From Wiktionary

Aye-aye Sentence Examples

  • The aye-aye, Chiromys (or Daubentonia) madagascariensis, is an animal with a superficial resemblance to a longhaired and dusky-coloured cat with unusually large eyes.

  • The aye-aye was discovered by Pierre Sonnerat in 1780, the specimen brought to Paris by that traveller being the only one known until 1860.

  • Till recently the aye-aye was regarded as representing a family by itself - the Chiromyidae; but the discovery that it resembles the other lemurs of Madagascar in the structure of the inner ear, and thus differs from all other members of the group, has led to the conclusion that it is best classed as a subfamily (Chiromyidae) of the Lemuridae.

  • Some of these creatures are highly specialized, while the curious aye-aye (Chirornys madagascariensis), an allied form, is one of the most remarkable animals known, forming a genus and family by itself.

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