from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Lemur \Le"mur\ (l[=e]"m[u^]r), n. [L., a ghost, specter. So
called on account of its habit of going abroad by night.]
(Zool.)
One of a family ({Lemurid[ae]}) of nocturnal mammals allied
to the monkeys, but of small size, and having a sharp and
foxlike muzzle, and large eyes. They feed upon birds,
insects, and fruit, and are mostly natives of Madagascar and
the neighboring islands, one genus ({Galago}) occurring in
Africa. The slow lemur or {kukang} of the East Indies is
{Nycticebus tardigradus}. See {Galago}, {Indris}, and
{Colugo}.
[1913 Webster]