feline

[ fee-lahyn ]
See synonyms for feline on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. belonging or pertaining to the cat family, Felidae.

  2. catlike; characteristic of animals of the cat family: a feline tread.

  1. sly, stealthy, or treacherous.

noun
  1. an animal of the cat family.

Origin of feline

1
1675–85; <Latin fēl(ēs) (see Felis) + -ine1; compare Late Latin fēlīneus of a wild cat

Other words from feline

  • fe·line·ly, adverb
  • fe·line·ness, fe·lin·i·ty [fi-lin-i-tee], /fɪˈlɪn ɪ ti/, noun
  • un·fe·line, adjective

Words Nearby feline

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use feline in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for feline

feline

/ (ˈfiːlaɪn) /


adjective
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Felidae, a family of predatory mammals, including cats, lions, leopards, and cheetahs, typically having a round head and retractile claws: order Carnivora (carnivores)

  2. resembling or suggestive of a cat, esp in stealth or grace

nounAlso: felid (ˈfiːlɪd)
  1. any animal belonging to the family Felidae; a cat

Origin of feline

1
C17: from Latin fēlīnus, from fēlēs cat

Derived forms of feline

  • felinely, adverb
  • felineness or felinity (fɪˈlɪnɪtɪ), noun

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

Scientific definitions for feline

feline

[ līn′ ]


  1. Characteristic of or resembling felids.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.