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ocelot

American  
[os-uh-lot, oh-suh-] / ˈɒs əˌlɒt, ˈoʊ sə- /

noun

  1. a spotted leopardlike cat, Felis pardalis, ranging from Texas through South America: now greatly reduced in number and endangered in the U.S.

ocelot British  
/ ˈɒsɪˌlɒt, ˈəʊ- /

noun

  1. a feline mammal, Felis pardalis, inhabiting the forests of Central and South America and having a dark-spotted buff-brown coat

"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

Etymology

Origin of ocelot

1765–75; < French, apparently arbitrary shortening of Nahuatl tlālōcēlōtl ocelot, equivalent to tlāl ( li ) earth, land + ōcēlōtl jaguar

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Vocabulary lists containing ocelot

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English Words Derived from Nahuatl

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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.

Amazon’s Ocelot chip cut error-correction costs by 90%.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 28, 2025

The firm has unveiled Ocelot a prototype chip built on "cat qubit" technology - an approach that derives its name from the famous "Schrödinger's cat" thought experiment.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025

Another tool in reducing roadkill is public awareness campaigns, says Wilcox, who helps manage the annual Ocelot Conservation Day at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas.

From National Geographic • Oct. 5, 2023

Concern is shared with environmental advocates who say structures will run through public lands, habitats of endangered plants and species like the Ocelot, a spotted wild cat.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 4, 2023

All I know for sure is that this is the Year of the Ocelot.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.