PLATYPUS

[platy.pus] n, pl platy.pus.es also platy.pi [NL, fr. Gk platypous flat-footed, fr. platys broad, flat + pous foot--more at place, foot] (1799): a small carnivorous aquatic oviparous mammal (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) of eastern Australia and Tasmania that has a fleshy bill resembling that of a duck, dense fur, webbed feet, and a broad flattened tail