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cacomistle

[kak-uh-mis-uh l]
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noun
  1. Also cac·o·mix·le [kak-uh-mis-uh l, -mik-suh l] /ˈkæk əˌmɪs əl, -ˌmɪk səl/. Also called bassarisk, ringtail, coon cat. a carnivorous animal, Bassariscus astutus, of Mexico and the southwestern U.S., related to the raccoon but smaller, with a sharper snout and longer tail.
  2. civet cat.

Origin of cacomistle

1865–70, Americanism; < Mexican Spanish cacomiztle, cacomixtle < Nahuatl tlahcomiztli, equivalent to tlahco- half, middle + miztli cougar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for cacomistle

Historical Examples

  • Sometimes a stuffed recamúchi (cacomistle, bassariscus) is used either in the place of a straw-man or in addition to it.

    Unknown Mexico, Volume 1 (of 2)

    Carl Lumholtz

British Dictionary definitions for cacomistle

cacomistle

cacomixle (ˈkækəˌmɪksəl)

noun
  1. a catlike omnivorous mammal, Bassariscus astutus, of S North America, related to but smaller than the raccoons: family Procyonidae, order Carnivora (carnivores). It has yellowish-grey fur and a long bushy tail banded in black and white
  2. a related smaller animal, Jentinkia (or Bassariscus) sumichrasti, of Central America

Word Origin

C19: from Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl tlacomiztli, from tlaco half + miztli cougar
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012