fossa
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fossa¹
- /ˈfɒsə/ UK
- /ˈfɑsə/ US
- /ˈfɔsə/ US
Rhymes with -ɒsə, -ɑsə, -ɔsə
Where it comes from
Unadapted borrowing from Latin fossa (“a ditch, trench, fosse”). Doublet of fosse.
noun fossae · fossæ
- A pit, groove, cavity, or depression.
- A long, narrow, shallow depression on the body of an extraterrestrial body, such as a planet or moon.
fossa²
- /ˈfuː.sə/ UK, US
- /ˈfʊ.sə/ UK, US
- /ˈfɒ.sə/ UK
- /ˈfɑ.sə/ US
- /ˈfɔ.sə/ US
Rhymes with -uːsə, -ʊsə, -ɒsə, -ɑsə, -ɔsə
Where it comes from
[Alt: Cryptoprocta ferox
Borrowing from Malagasy fosa which likely once referred to the Malayan weasel (Mustela nudipes) prior to a semantic shift, thus cognate with Malay pusak and Tagalog pusa both meaning "cat".
noun fossas
- A large nocturnal reddish-brown catlike mammal (Cryptoprocta ferox) of the civet family, endemic to the rainforests of Madagascar. It is slender, long-tailed and has retractile claws and anal scent glands.
Translations
Every language
noun pit, groove, cavity
| 中文 | 窩 /窝 wō |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Vertiefung |
Talk about this word "fossa." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fossa. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. fossa. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fossa "fossa." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fossa.Cite this
@misc{fossa_2026,
title = {fossa},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fossa},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
