serval

[ sur-vuhl ]

noun,plural ser·vals, (especially collectively) ser·val.
  1. a long-limbed, nocturnal African cat,Felis serval, about the size of a bobcat, having a tawny coat spotted with black: now rare in many former habitats.

Origin of serval

1
1765–75; <New Latin <Portuguese (lobo) cerval lynx, literally, staglike (wolf) <Late Latin cervālis deerlike, equivalent to Latin cerv(us) stag + -ālis-al1

Words Nearby serval

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How to use serval in a sentence

  • Among them was that of a leopard, an ant bear, and a serval cat.

    The Forest of Mystery | James H. Foster
  • The serval is a spotted cat—black upon a pale-yellowish ground—and considerably larger than the domestic species.

  • With a convulsive wriggle the serval made a last attempt to bury its fangs in its victim's neck.

    Samba | Herbert Strang
  • There is the small serval of Africa, and the ocelot, all too well known to need a description.

    Cats | W. Gordon Stables
  • Till one day there came a leopard and fought with the serval and killed him.

British Dictionary definitions for serval

serval

/ (ˈsɜːvəl) /


nounplural -vals or -val
  1. a slender feline mammal, Felis serval, of the African bush, having an orange-brown coat with black spots, large ears, and long legs

Origin of serval

1
C18: via French from Late Latin cervālis staglike, from Latin cervus a stag

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