civet cat

1. 1.

   raccoon-like omnivorous mammal of Mexico and the southwestern United States having a long bushy tail with black and white rings

   Synonymsbassariskcacomistlecacomixlecoon catraccoon foxringtailring-tailed catminer's catBassariscus astutus

   Broaderprocyonid

   Part ofBassariscus
2. 2.

   cat-like mammal typically secreting musk used in perfumes

   Synonymscivet

   Broaderviverrine

   Narrowerlarge civetsmall civetbinturongCryptoproctafanalokabanded palm civetpalm cat

   Part ofViverridae

Questions about civet cat

What does civet cat mean?

civet cat means "raccoon-like omnivorous mammal of Mexico and the southwestern United States having a long bushy tail with black and white rings". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

What is another word for civet cat?

Close synonyms include bassarisk, cacomistle, cacomixle, coon cat, raccoon fox. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is civet cat a common word?

civet cat is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.