Definition of carnivorous
1 : subsisting or feeding on animal tissues
2 of a plant : subsisting on nutrients obtained from the breakdown of animal protoplasm (as of insects)
3 : of or relating to the carnivores
4 : rapacious
carnivorously
adverbcarnivorousness
nounPeople Are Reading
Did You Know?
The order of mammals that Linnaeus named the Carnivora includes such families as the dogs, the bears, the raccoons, the weasels, the hyenas, the cats, and the seals. Most carnivores eat only meat in the wild, but some have varied diets; some bears, for instance, normally eat far more vegetation than meat. Carnivores have powerful jaws and complex teeth, and most are highly intelligent. Humans, like their ape cousins, are basically omnivores.
Origin and Etymology of carnivorous
Latin carnivorus, from carn-, caro + -vorus -vorous
First Known Use: 1592
Other Ecology Terms
CARNIVOROUS Defined for Kids
carnivorous
playDefinition of carnivorous for Students
: feeding on animal flesh or tissue Wolves are carnivorous animals.
Word Root of carnivorous
The Latin word vorāre, meaning “to eat greedily,” gives us the root vor. Words from the Latin vorāre have something to do with eating. An herbivorous animal eats only plants. A carnivorous animal eats only other animals. To devour is to eat up greedily. Anyone voracious likes to eat a lot.
Medical Dictionary
carnivorous
playMedical Definition of carnivorous
1: subsisting or feeding on animal tissues
2: of or relating to the carnivores
carnivorously
adverbcarnivorousness
nounLearn More about carnivorous
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See words that rhyme with carnivorous Spanish Central: Translation of carnivorous Nglish: Translation of carnivorous for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of carnivorous for Arabic speakers
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