babirusa

or bab·i·rous·sa, bab·i·rus·sa

[ bab-uh-roo-suh, bah-buh- ]

/ ˌbæb əˈru sə, ˌbɑ bə- /

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noun

an East Indian swine, Babyrousa babyrussa, the male of which has upper canine teeth growing upward through the roof of the mouth and curving toward the eyes, and lower canine teeth growing upward outside the upper jaw.

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Origin of babirusa

1690–1700; <Malay, equivalent to babi pig + rusa deer

Words nearby babirusa

babies'-breath, Babinet, Babington, Babinski effect, Babinski's reflex, babirusa, Babism, Babi Yar, Babi Yar Symphony, babka, baboo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use babirusa in a sentence

Unlike ordinary wild pigs, the babirusa produces uniformly coloured young.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1|Various
Next day we started with our friend into the neighbouring forest, in chase of the babirusa or pig-deer.
In the Eastern Seas|W.H.G. Kingston
I also obtained a skull of the babirusa, one specimen of which was killed by native hunters during my residence at Cajeli.
The Malay Archipelago|Alfred Russell Wallace
At this time the babirusa may have entered Bouru, since it probably swims as well as its allies the pigs.
The Malay Archipelago|Alfred Russell Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for babirusa

babirusa

/ (ˌbɑːbɪˈruːsə) /

noun

a wild pig, Babyrousa babyrussa, inhabiting marshy forests in Indonesia. It has an almost hairless wrinkled skin and enormous curved canine teeth

Word Origin for babirusa

C17: from Malay, from bābī hog + rūsa deer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012