Main Entry: ta·pir

Pronunciation: \ˈtā-pər also ˈtā-ˌpir or tə-ˈpir\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural tapirs also tapir

Etymology: Portuguese tapir, tapira, from Tupi tapiʔíra

Date: 1774

: any of a genus (Tapirus) of herbivorous chiefly nocturnal perissodactyl mammals of tropical America and southeastern Asia from Myanmar to Sumatra that have a heavy sparsely hairy body and the snout and upper lip prolonged into a short flexible proboscis

[tapir illustration]