serval Hear it!

serval Definition

ser·val (sʉr′vəl)

noun pl. -·vals or -·val

an African wildcat (Leptailurus serval) with a black-spotted, tawny coat, long legs, and no ear tufts

Etymology: Fr < Port (lobo) cerval < L (lupus) cervarius, lynx, lit., deer wolf: see wolf & cervine

serval Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

cat: Serval cats have been persecuted for many years in Africa.