meerkat
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meerkat
- /ˈmɪəkat/ UK
- /ˈmɪəɹkæt/ US
Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)kæt
Where it comes from
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). Note however Old High German merikazza, so any influence from Indo-Aryan would have to be exceptionally early.
noun meerkats · meercat · mierkat
-
Suricata suricatta, a small carnivorous mammal of the mongoose family, from the Kalahari Desert, known for its habit of standing on its hind legs.
Similar: suricate
Translations
Every language
noun small carnivorous mammal
| Español | suricata, suricato |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 미어캣 mieokaet |
| 日本語 | ミーアキャット mīakyatto |
| 中文 | 狐獴 húměng, 細尾獴 /细尾獴 xìwěiměng |
| Kiswahili | nguchiro wa porini |
| Português | suricate, suricato |
| Français | suricate |
| Deutsch | Erdmännchen |
| Italiano | suricato |
| Ελληνικά | σουρικάτα sourikáta |
| Română | suricat |
| Русский | сурика́т surikát, сурика́та surikáta, мирка́т mirkát |
| Tiếng Việt | cầy vằn bụng đỏ |
| العربية | سُرِقَاط suriqāṭ, مِيرْكَات mirkāt |
| עברית | סוּרִיקָטָה |
Talk about this word "meerkat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/meerkat. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. meerkat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/meerkat "meerkat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/meerkat.Cite this
@misc{meerkat_2026,
title = {meerkat},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/meerkat},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
