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  1. flying squirrel love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Any of various nocturnal squirrels of the genera Pteromys, Petaurista, Glaucomys, and related genera, having membranes along each side of the body between the forelegs and hind legs that enable it to glide between trees.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A squirrel or squirrel-like animal having a fold of skin like a parachute along each side of the body, by means of which it is enabled to make long flying leaps through the air. Specifically— A squirrel proper, a rodent mammal of the family Sciuridæ, of the above character. The smaller species, of which several inhabit North America and Europe, belong to the genus Sciuropterus. Such are S. volucella, the common flying-squirrel of North America, 6 or 7 inches long without the tail, with large black eyes and extremely soft fur, and the similar old-world S. volans. The taguans or larger flying-squirrels are all of the old world, and belong to the genus Pteromys; they are sometimes called flying-marmots and flying-cats. See cut under Pteromys.

Wiktionary

  1. n. Any of 43 species of squirrels from the Pteromyinae subfamily; they cannot fly, but glide from tree to tree.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. (Zoöl.) See Flying squirrel, in the Vocabulary.
  2. (Zoöl.) One of a group of squirrels, of the genus Glaucomys (formerly Pteromus and Sciuropterus [1913 Webster]), especially Glaucomys volans and Glaucomys sabrinus, having parachute-like folds of skin extending from the fore to the hind legs, which enable them to make very long, gliding leaps.
  3. n. (Zoöl.) See Flying squirrel, in the Vocabulary.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. nocturnal phalangers that move with gliding leaps using parachute-like folds of skin along the sides of the body

Examples

  • “I, with my little-finger neurosis, would be happier as a flying squirrel than as a pterodactyl, because it feels ‘right’ to use whole arms and whole legs to do load-bearing work.”

    Simon & Schuster: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

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hypernyms (3)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. opossum
  1. possum
  1. phalanger

hyponyms (1)

Words that are more specific

  1. flying mouse

reverse dictionary (24)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. taguan
  2. petaurista petaurista
  3. southern flying squirrel
  4. flying marmot
  1. glaucomys sabrinus
  2. glaucomys volans
  3. northern flying squirrel
  4. flying cat
  1. flying phalanger
  2. tree-squirrel
  3. wing
  4. petaurist
  1. squirrel
  2. flying squirrel
  3. colugo
  4. sugar squirrel
  1. gliding-machine
  2. patagiate
  3. polatouche
  4. rasoo
  1. squirrel-phalanger
  2. assapan
  3. flying-marmot
  4. flying-cat

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  • treeseed The flying squirrels, scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini, are a tribe of squirrel (family Sciuridae). There are 43 species in this tribe. The 2 species of the genus Glaucomys (Glaucomys sabrinus and Glaucomys volans) are native to North America, and the Siberian flying squirrel is native to parts of northern Europe (Pteromys volans).

    The term "flying" is somewhat misleading, since flying squirrels are actually gliders incapable of true flight. Steering is accomplished by adjusting tautness of the patagium, largely controlled by a small cartilaginous wrist bone. The tail acts as a stabilizer in flight, much like the tail of a kite, and as an adjunct airfoil when "braking" prior to landing on a tree trunk.
    _Wikipedia
    Feb 3, 2008

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‘flying squirrel’ has been looked up 625 times, added to 6 lists, commented on 1 time, and is not a valid Scrabble word.