Meerkat definition

mîrkät
meerkats
See word origin
Frequency:
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.
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Suricata suricatta, a small carnivorous mammal of the mongoose family, from the Kalahari Desert, known for its habit of standing on its hind legs.
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Any of various mongooses of SW Africa, esp. a small, grayish one (Suricata suricatta) that lives in colonies underground.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
meerkat
Plural:
meerkats

Origin of meerkat

  • Afrikaans from Middle Dutch meercatte monkey meer sea (because monkeys came from overseas) mori- in Indo-European roots catte cat (from Germanic kattuz) cat

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Afrikaans meerkat, transferrative use of Dutch meerkat (“guenon (monkey)"). Compare English mercat.

    From Wiktionary