noun
sloth
A slow-moving tree-dwelling mammal with long limbs and claws.
A sloth hangs from a branch by its long claws.
Etymology
The animal takes its name from sloth, meaning slowness or indolence. Its conspicuously slow movements supplied the human-character comparison.
More examples
- We spot two sloths high in the rainforest canopy.
- The baby sloth clings to its mother's fur.
- The sloth slowly reaches for a cluster of leaves.
Forms
sloth · sloths