%aurist%

n. [ From Maurus, the favorite disciple of St. Benedict. ] A member of the Congregation of Saint Maur, an offshoot of the Benedictines, originating in France in the early part of the seventeenth century. The Maurists have been distinguished for their interest in literature. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. petaurista a ropedancer, Gr. petayristh`s, fr. petayri`zein to dance on a rope, fr. pe`tayron a pole, a stage for ropedancers: cf. F. pétauriste. ] (Zool.) Any flying marsupial of the genera Petaurus, Phalangista, Acrobata, and allied genera. See Flying mouse, under Flying, and Phalangister. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A genus of very large Asiatic flying squirrels.
Syn. -- genus Petaurista. [ WordNet 1.5 ]