Meanings
plural unaus
- Linnaeus's two-toed sloth, Choloepus didactylus, a two-toed sloth native to South America.
The unau, or two-toed sloth, has no tail, and only two nails on the fore feet. The ai, or three-toed sloth, has a short tail, and three nails on every foot. The nose of the unau, is likewise much longer, the forehead higher, and the ears longer than those of the ai.
1834, Augustus Addison Gould, editor, A System of Natural History, page 264
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna sloth of Central America that has two long claws on each forefoot and three long claws on each hindfoot
nounrelatively small fast-moving sloth with two long claws on each front foot
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From Brazilian Portuguese, from Tupian.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
unau. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unau
“unau.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unau. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unau,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unau.
Source: unau on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.