noun
platypus
PLA-tih-puhs
noun
1
An egg-laying, semi-aquatic Australian mammal with a duck-like bill, webbed feet, and a beaver-like tail.
"The platypus is one of only a few mammals that lay eggs."
How to Use Platypus
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA strange-looking egg-laying mammal from Australia with a duck-like bill.
Memory tip
The usual plural in English is "platypuses" (sometimes "platypus"); the classical form "platypi" is technically wrong since the word is Greek, not Latin.
Trace the full origin ↓Word Forms
platypuses plural, platypus plural, platypi plural, platypodes plural
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The _____ is one of only a few mammals that lay eggs.
Etymology
From Greek platypous, "flat-footed" — platys, "flat," plus pous, "foot."