Wordfinder

Tarsier definition

tärsē-ər, -sē-ā
tarsiers
See word origin
Frequency:
Any of several small insectivorous primates of the genus Tarsius of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, being nocturnal and arboreal and having extremely large round eyes, a long tail, and long digits with nails except for the second and third toes, which have claws.
noun
0
0
Any of a family (Tarsiidae) of small arboreal primates of the East Indies and the Philippines, with very large, gogglelike eyes, and a long, tufted tail: tarsiers are active at night and feed esp. on lizards and insects.
noun
0
0
An insectivorous primate of the Tarsiidae family, having very large eyes and long feet, native mainly to several islands of Southeast Asia.
noun
0
0
Advertisement

Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
tarsier
Plural:
tarsiers

Origin of tarsier

  • French from tarse tarsus (from its elongated ankles) from New Latin tarsus tarsus

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

Tarsier Sentence Examples

  • The tarsier feeds chiefly on insects and lizards, sleeps during the day, but is tolerably active at night, moving chiefly by jumping from place to place; an action for which the structure of its hind-legs seems particularly well adapted.

  • The name tarsier refers to the great elongation of two of the bones of the tarsus, or ankle, and spectrum to the huge goggle-like eyes and attenuated form which constitute two of the most distinctive features of this weird little creature.

  • Rather smaller than a squirrel, with dusky brown fur, the tarsier has immense eyes, large ears, a long thin tail, tufted at the end, a greatly elongated tarsal portion of the foot, and disk-like adhesive surfaces on the fingers, which doubtless assist the animal in maintaining its position on the boughs.

  • Combine a guided trip with a hunt for spectral tarsier at dusk for value for money.

More sentences

Also Mentioned In

Words near tarsier in the Dictionary