meerkat


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meer·kat

 (mîr′kăt′)
n.
A small burrowing mongoose (Suricata suricatta) of southern Africa, having brownish-gray fur and a long tail, which it uses for balance when it stands on its hind legs. Also called suricate.

[Afrikaans, from Middle Dutch meercatte, monkey, perhaps a compound of meer, sea (because monkeys came to Europe from overseas); see mori- in Indo-European roots + catte, cat (from Germanic *kattuz); see cat, or perhaps a folk-etymological alteration of an Indic word akin to Marathi mākaḍ, monkey (from Middle Indic makkaṭa-, from Sanskrit markaṭaḥ, perhaps of Dravidian origin and akin to Kannada maṅga).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

meerkat

(ˈmɪəˌkæt)
n
(Animals) any of several South African mongooses, esp Suricata suricatta (slender-tailed meerkat or suricate), which has a lemur-like face and four-toed feet
[C19: from Dutch: sea-cat]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

su•ri•cate

(ˈsʊər ɪˌkeɪt)

n.
a small burrowing South African colonial viverrid, Suricata suricatta, related to the mongooses.
Also called meerkat.
[1775–85; earlier surikate < French < Dutch surikat macaque]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.meerkat - a mongoose-like viverrine of South Africa having a face like a lemur and only four toesmeerkat - a mongoose-like viverrine of South Africa having a face like a lemur and only four toes
viverrine, viverrine mammal - small cat-like predatory mammals of warmer parts of the Old World
slender-tailed meerkat, Suricata suricatta - a meerkat with a thin and elongated tail
Suricata tetradactyla, suricate - burrowing diurnal meerkat of southern Africa; often kept as a pet
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Erdmännchen
nelisormimangusti
suricate
suricato
References in periodicals archive ?
Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre, in Eccleshall, was closed for three days after the blaze in March, which killed three giant tortoises, a meerkat and around 15 fruit bats.
TWO adorably mischievous meerkat pups have taken their first steps outside at Chester Zoo.
A second tweet said: "CCTV footage of the criminal who broke in and destroyed our meerkat's home - remember there's [pounds sterling]1000 reward as well as a chance to meet the meerkats for info leading to arrest & charge!"
One meerkat The meerkats will be a really special addition to our wide variety of farm animals, mammals and reptiles and will add a new dimension to our animal care course and wider curriculum.
They can sometimes be seen with the new meerkat triplets, born recently to mam Angelica.
One little meerkat was so excited over the delicious nibbles it even climbed in to the parcel to explore.
However, this year the website has introduced the addition of Meerkat Meals, which customers can also enjoy under the 2 for 1 offer.
Not forgetting the one sneaky meerkat that joined in on the action to foresee Uruguay would win against Russia, the host nation, at the start of this week.
? A meerkat pundit picks Uruguay to beat Russia tomorrow
The adorable pups were born at the college in Holly Lane,Worpledsonas part of the college's recent breeding project to build up a new meerkat social group.
Lilis Energy reported that the Hippo #2H, AG Hill #1H and Meerkat #1H have reached 24-hour initial production rates.
So I was surprised and excited when Joe called me to tell me of a meerkat brawl.