platypus
UK[ˈplætɪpəs]US[ˈplæt̬ɪpəs]
n
A small, semiaquatic mammal from Australia and Tasmania that has a soft, furry body, a broad, flat tail, webbed feet, and a bill like a duck's. It lays eggs.
Etymology
The word 'platypus' was adopted into English in the late 18th century from modern scientific Latin, which itself was constructed from ancient Greek elements. It is a compound of the Greek words 'platys' (πλατύς), meaning "flat, broad," and 'pous' (πούς), meaning "foot." The name was coined literally as "flat-foot," a direct reference to the animal's distinctive webbed feet. However, this original name proved problematic in scientific classification, as it was already used for a genus of beetles. The animal is now more formally known by its genus name, Ornithorhynchus (from Greek for "bird snout"), but the more vivid and descriptive 'platypus' remains its common English name, preserving the initial logic of its physical description.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword from modern scientific Latin. It is not productively segmented in English, though its Greek roots are identifiable in its etymology.
Examples
The platypus is one of the only two mammals that lay eggs.
We were lucky to spot a platypus swimming in the creek at dawn.
The platypus uses electroreception in its bill to locate prey underwater.