platypus

[ plat-i-puh s, -poo s ]
/ ˈplæt ɪ pəs, -ˌpʊs /

noun, plural plat·y·pus·es, plat·y·pi [plat-i-pahy] /ˈplæt ɪˌpaɪ/.

a small, aquatic, egg-laying monotreme, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, of Australia and Tasmania, having webbed feet, a tail like that of a beaver, a sensitive bill resembling that of a duck, and, in adult males, venom-injecting spurs on the ankles of the hind limbs, used primarily for fighting with other males during the breeding season.
Also called duckbill, duckbilled platypus.

Origin of platypus

1790–1800; < New Latin < Greek platýpous flat-footed, equivalent to platy- platy- + -pous, adj. derivative of poús foot

Words nearby platypus

platykurtic, platykurtosis, platypellic pelvis, platypnea, platypod, platypus, platyrrhine, platysma, platyspondylia, plaudit, plauen

Example sentences from the Web for platypus

British Dictionary definitions for platypus

platypus
/ (ˈplætɪpəs) /

noun plural -puses

See duck-billed platypus

Word Origin for platypus

C18: New Latin, from platy- + -pus, from Greek pous foot