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mongoose

mon·goose

UK/ˈmɒŋ.ɡuːs/ US/ˈmɑŋ.ɡus/ uncommon

noun

1.

agile grizzled Old World viverrine; preys on snakes and rodents

Origin

First attested in the 1690s. Borrowed from Portuguese manguço, from Marathi मुंगूस (muṅgūs), from Old Marathi 𑘦𑘳𑘽𑘐𑘳𑘭 (muṃgusa). Ultimately a Dravidian borrowing (compare Telugu ముంగిస (muṅgisa)), from Proto-Dravidian *mūnkūc- (“mongoose”). Spelling altered by folk-etymological association with goose. Displaced native Old English nǣderbita (literally “snake biter”).

Phrases

  • African mongoose
  • Angolan slender mongoose
  • banded mongoose
  • Bengal mongoose
  • black mongoose
  • black-footed mongoose
  • black-legged mongoose
  • brown-tailed mongoose

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.