serval

American

[sur-vuhl] / ˈsɜr vəl /

noun

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.

serval British

/ ˈsɜːvəl /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of serval

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The serval did not want to go into her crate.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2025

The sanctuary said it had lost five African serval cats, four bobcats, two Canada lynx and a Bengal tiger, among others.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2024

The Macon County Animal Control and Care Center posted on Facebook Saturday that the serval had been found and brought in.

From Washington Times • Nov. 15, 2023

This area – spanning parts of modern-day Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Iran and more – is home to numerous small cats, including the caracal, serval, jungle cat and sand cat.

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2023

The serval was a spotted animal about the size of a jackal.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023