mongoose

[ mong-goos, mon- ]

noun

, plural mon·goos·es.

1. a slender, ferretlike carnivore, Herpestes edwardsi, of India, that feeds on rodents, birds, and eggs, noted especially for its ability to kill cobras and other venomous snakes.
2. any of several other animals of this genus or related genera.

mongoose

/ ˈmɒŋˌɡuːs /

noun

1. any small predatory viverrine mammal of the genus Herpestes and related genera, occurring in Africa and from S Europe to SE Asia, typically having a long tail and brindled coat

Word History and Origins

Origin of mongoose¹

1690–1700; < Marathi mangūs, variant of muṅgūs

Word History and Origins

Origin of mongoose¹

C17: from Marathi mangūs, of Dravidian origin

Example Sentences

She’s filled kiddie pools with colorful plastic balls for the mongooses to dive in and out of.

From Time

Other oceanic crossings include mice to Australia and tenrecs, mongooses and hippos to Madagascar.

From Singularity Hub 

When it comes to mating, the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) likes to keep things in the family.

From The Daily Beast

So, why would a species like the banded mongoose favor breeding between relatives?

From The Daily Beast

Hope that an accentuated mongoose-step movement may crush the new enemy.

From Project Gutenberg

Under the hedge of a garden somebody's tame mongoose is devouring the head of a cobra.

From Project Gutenberg

Then the mongoose crunches up its head, eats a little of the body also if it is very hungry, and goes off to look for another.

From Project Gutenberg

The first of these is the Indian mongoose, which is common in almost all parts of the great country from which it takes its name.

From Project Gutenberg

The Egyptian mongoose is a rather larger animal, being about three feet in length from the head to the tip of the tail.

From Project Gutenberg

What Is The Plural Of Mongoose?

Plural word for mongoose

The plural form of mongoose is mongooses (not mongeese). The plurals of some other singular words that end in -oose are also formed this way, including caboose/cabooses and papoose/papooses. 

The plural mongooses is confusing because the plural of goose is the irregular form geese, which derives directly from its original pluralization in Old English. However, the term mongoose only uses the standard English plural -s ending.