meerkat

English
A meerkat.

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Afrikaans meerkat, transferred use of Dutch meerkat (“guenon [monkey]”), from Middle Dutch meercatte (literally “sea cat”), compare English mercat. Sometimes suggested to be influenced by or derived from an Indian source; compare Hindi मर्कट (markaṭ, “ape, monkey”) and Sanskrit मर्कट (markaṭa).[1] Note however Old High German merikazza, so any influence from Indo-Aryan would have to be exceptionally early.

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈmɪəkat/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈmɪəɹkæt/
  • Audio (UK)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)kæt

Noun

meerkat (plural meerkats)

  1. Suricata suricatta, a small carnivorous mammal of the mongoose family, from the Kalahari Desert, known for its habit of standing on its hind legs.
    Synonym: suricate

Descendants

Translations

References
  1. “meerkat”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch meerkat (“guenon”), from Middle Dutch meercatte.

Pronunciation
  • Audio(file)

Noun

meerkat (plural meerkatte or meerkaaie)

  1. meerkat

Descendants

Dutch
FWOTD – 20 July 2019
guenon (C. mitis)

Etymology

From Middle Dutch meercatte (“monkey, ape”), from Old Dutch *merikatta. Equivalent to meer +‎ kat. Cognate with Old High German merikazza (German Meerkatze).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈmeːrˌkɑt/, [ˈmɪːrˌkɑt]
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: meer‧kat

Noun

meerkat f (plural meerkatten, diminutive meerkatje n)

  1. A guenon, vervet, talapoin or patas; one of a number of monkeys of the genus Cercopithecus, or of the tribe Cercopithecini.
    • 2013, Bas Vlugt, Namibië, Botswana en Zimbabwe:
      De groene meerkat of vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) is de meest voorkomende aap in zuidelijk Afrika.
      The African green monkey or vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) is the most common monkey in southern Africa.
    • 2016, Sterre Leufkens, Taal, in Elementaire deeltjes, vol. 40, Amsterdam University Press (publ.), page 32.
      Het bijzondere aan meerkatten is dat ze hun waarschuwingssignalen betekenisvol kunnen combineren met andere woordjes.
      The special thing about guenons is that they can meaningfully combine their warning signals with other short words.

Descendants
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