babirousa
|ba-bi-rou-sa|
🇺🇸
/ˌbɑːbɪˈruːsə/ or /ˌbæbɪˈruːsə/
🇬🇧
/ˌbæbɪˈruːsə/
pig-deer; Sulawesi wild pig
Etymology
'babirousa' originates from Malay/Indonesian, specifically the phrase 'babi rusa', where 'babi' meant 'pig' and 'rusa' meant 'deer'.
'babi rusa' was recorded in local Malay/Indonesian usage and was adopted into European naturalists' writings (Dutch/English) in the 17th–19th centuries as 'babirusa' or variant 'babirousa', eventually becoming the English common name for the animal.
Initially, it literally meant 'pig-deer' (a compound of 'pig' and 'deer'), but over time it came to be used specifically for the Sulawesi wild pig species and related taxa.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a small genus of wild pig-like mammals (family Suidae) native to the islands of Indonesia (notably Sulawesi), noted for long, upward-curving tusks; also used as the common name for species in the genus Babyrousa.
The babirousa is known for its remarkable upward-curving tusks.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/23 17:19