Illustration of pangolin
pangolin
noun
pan·go·lin ˈpaŋ-gə-lən 
ˈpan-
: any of a family (Manidae of the order Pholidota) of Asian and African toothless mammals having the body covered dorsally with large imbricated horny scales
called also scaly anteater
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Congolese pangolin-scale traffickers tend to be multilingual. 
Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 22 June 2021 Bjorkman and co-workers chose a portion of spike from a range of beta coronaviruses: SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, a virus isolated from a pangolin, and five bat viruses. Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, 15 Apr. 2021 Another possible-to-likely scenario is direct transmission from one of the animals known to carry a similar coronavirus, such as a bat or a pangolin. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 31 Mar. 2021 Scientists still debate whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in a bat or a pangolin. Quanta Magazine, 24 Aug. 2020 In fact, while some researchers go gaga over a cute panda or pangolin, Kwak has a thing for parasites. Eric Niiler, Wired, 13 Aug. 2020 The remaining five species, including the Indian pangolin, are listed as either vulnerable or endangered. Ben Westcott, CNN, 10 June 2020 Up to a third of the pangolin species may have played host to the virus. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 30 May 2020 Researchers determined that the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged from horseshoe bats rather than a biowarfare lab, and generally agreed that pangolins, rather than snakes, were the likely intermediary carriers, although some support was voiced for turtles. Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2020 See More
Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 22 June 2021 Bjorkman and co-workers chose a portion of spike from a range of beta coronaviruses: SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, a virus isolated from a pangolin, and five bat viruses. Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, 15 Apr. 2021 Another possible-to-likely scenario is direct transmission from one of the animals known to carry a similar coronavirus, such as a bat or a pangolin. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 31 Mar. 2021 Scientists still debate whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in a bat or a pangolin. Quanta Magazine, 24 Aug. 2020 In fact, while some researchers go gaga over a cute panda or pangolin, Kwak has a thing for parasites. Eric Niiler, Wired, 13 Aug. 2020 The remaining five species, including the Indian pangolin, are listed as either vulnerable or endangered. Ben Westcott, CNN, 10 June 2020 Up to a third of the pangolin species may have played host to the virus. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 30 May 2020 Researchers determined that the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged from horseshoe bats rather than a biowarfare lab, and generally agreed that pangolins, rather than snakes, were the likely intermediary carriers, although some support was voiced for turtles. Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Malay dialect pĕngguling
First Known Use
1774, in the meaning defined above