meerkat

Meaning

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

Synonyms

suricate

mierkat

slender-tailed meerkat

Suricata

Translations

suricate

Erdmännchen

suricate

suricata

stokstaartje

suricato

suricata

suricato

suricata suricatta

ميركات

mirket

مِيرْكَات

سُرِقَاط

حيوان الميركات

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmɪəkat/

Etymology

Cognate with English: mercat

Cognate with Old High German: merikazza

In summary

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.