a loris

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablespecialist

   a small nocturnal primate with large eyes and slow, careful movements, found in South and Southeast Asia.

   Grammar: Use 'a loris' for one animal and 'lorises' for two or more; the plural can also be 'loris' in technical writing.

   Patterns

   • a slender loris
   • a slow loris
   • see a loris in the wild

   A loris moved slowly along the branch, watching us with huge eyes.

   The zoo keeps a loris in a darkened enclosure because it is nocturnal.

   Researchers tracked a loris through the forest at night.

2. 2nouncountablebiology

   a slow loris, a type of loris with a toxic bite that is often traded illegally.

   Grammar: In everyday use, 'a loris' often means a slow loris specifically, especially in news about wildlife trade.

   Patterns

   • a slow loris
   • rescue a loris
   • protect lorises

   A slow loris was rescued from an illegal market.

   Conservation groups are working to protect the loris from the pet trade.

Word forms

Common combinations

a slow loris

A slow loris has a poisonous bite, which is unusual for a primate.

a slender loris

The slender loris is even harder to spot in the dark.

nocturnal loris

The nocturnal loris sleeps during the day.

protect the loris

New laws aim to protect the loris from hunters.

Synonyms and how they differ

primate

A much broader group that includes monkeys, apes, and humans, so it is less precise than 'loris'.

lemur

A different nocturnal primate from Madagascar; it looks similar but is not a loris.

Word family

lorisid noun

A technical word for a member of the loris family.

Commonly confused: a loris or lemur? a loris or sloth?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “a loris”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words