ursine

adjective

ur·​sine ˈər-ˌsīn How to pronounce ursine (audio)
1
: of or relating to a bear or the bear family (Ursidae)
2
: suggesting or characteristic of a bear
a lumbering ursine gait

Examples of ursine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web An ursine creature was caught taking part in the bear necessities at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. James Powel, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2024 When Bruno is taken, Pearly ventures after him, enduring human evil and a challenging landscape to rescue her ursine brother. Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2024 And at least one of those ursine creatures has come lumbering back with her. Ron Charles, Washington Post, 18 June 2024 Fairfax has become one of the nation’s top beaver evangelists, gaining fans with her stop-motion animation video showing how beaver wetlands can slow the intensity of wildfire, and for her concept of Smokey the Beaver as a counterpart to the Fire Service’s ursine poster child for fire suppression. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ursine 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ursine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin ursinus, from ursus bear — more at arctic

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ursine was circa 1550

Dictionary Entries Near ursine

Cite this Entry

“Ursine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ursine. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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