Sloth bear

Sloth bear
Sloth Sloth, n. [OE. slouthe, sleuthe, AS. sl?w?, fr. sl[=a]w slow. See {Slow}.] 1. Slowness; tardiness. [1913 Webster]

These cardinals trifle with me; I abhor This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. Disinclination to action or labor; sluggishness; laziness; idleness. [1913 Webster]

[They] change their course to pleasure, ease, and sloth. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears. --Franklin. [1913 Webster]

3. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several species of arboreal edentates constituting the family {Bradypodid[ae]}, and the suborder Tardigrada. They have long exserted limbs and long prehensile claws. Both jaws are furnished with teeth (see Illust. of {Edentata}), and the ears and tail are rudimentary. They inhabit South and Central America and Mexico. [1913 Webster]

Note: The three-toed sloths belong to the genera {Bradypus} and {Arctopithecus}, of which several species have been described. They have three toes on each foot. The best-known species are collared sloth ({Bradypus tridactylus}), and the ai ({Arctopitheus ai}). The two-toed sloths, consisting the genus {Cholopus}, have two toes on each fore foot and three on each hind foot. The best-known is the unau ({Cholopus didactylus}) of South America. See {Unau}. Another species ({C. Hoffmanni}) inhabits Central America. Various large extinct terrestrial edentates, such as Megatherium and Mylodon, are often called sloths. [1913 Webster]

{Australian sloth}, or {Native sloth} (Zo["o]l.), the koala.

{Sloth animalcule} (Zo["o]l.), a tardigrade.

{Sloth bear} (Zo["o]l.), a black or brown long-haired bear ({Melursus ursinus}, or {Melursus labiatus}), native of India and Ceylon; -- called also {aswail}, {labiated bear}, and {jungle bear}. It is easily tamed and can be taught many tricks.

{Sloth monkey} (Zo["o]l.), a loris. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Sloth bear — Temporal range: Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene – Recent Francois [1] a sloth bear in captivity at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington …   Wikipedia

  • sloth bear — n. a bear (Melursus ursinus) with shaggy, black fur, a flexible snout, and long, white claws: it is found in India and Sri Lanka and feeds chiefly on fruits and insects …   English World dictionary

  • Sloth Bear — Taxobox name = Sloth Bear fossil range = Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene – Recent status = VU trend = unknown status system = iucn2.3 image width = 250px image caption = Sloth Bear in captivity at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park,… …   Wikipedia

  • sloth bear — noun common coarse haired long snouted bear of south central Asia • Syn: ↑Melursus ursinus, ↑Ursus ursinus • Hypernyms: ↑bear • Member Holonyms: ↑Melursus, ↑genus Melursus * * * …   Useful english dictionary

  • sloth bear — a coarse haired, long snouted bear, Ursus ursinus, of India and Indochina: now rare. [1825 35] * * * ▪ mammal also called  honey bear , Hindi  bhalu     forest dwelling member of the family Ursidae that inhabits tropical or subtropical regions of …   Universalium

  • sloth bear — ilgalūpis lokys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Melursus ursinus angl. Indian bear; sloth bear vok. Lippenbär rus. губач; медведь губач pranc. ours de à longues lèvres; ours de l’Inde ryšiai:… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Sloth bear of Mysore — The Sloth bear of Mysore was an unusually aggressive Indian sloth bear responsible for the deaths of at least 12 people, and the mauling of two dozen others. It was killed by Kenneth Anderson, who in his memoirs Man Eaters and Jungle Killers ,… …   Wikipedia

  • sloth bear — noun a shaggy coated Indian bear with long curved claws, noted for hanging upside down like a sloth. [Melursus ursinus.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • sloth bear — noun A nocturnal bear living in the South Asia. Syn: lip bear …   Wiktionary

  • sloth bear — noun Date: 1835 a forest dwelling bear (Melurus ursinus) of India and adjacent regions that has long black hair, very large claws, and a long snout and that feeds chiefly on insects …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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