bobcat

[bob-kat]

See more synonyms for bobcat on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural bob·cats, (especially collectively) bob·cat.

a North American wildcat, Lynx rufus, ranging from southern Canada to central Mexico, having a brownish coat with black spots.

Origin of bobcat

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; bob(tail) + cat

Also called bay lynx.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for bobcat

wildcat, bobcat, cat, catamount, caracal, puma, panther, tabby, kitty, lynx, tiger, cougar, lion, puss, kitten, leopard, jaguar, tomcat, pussy, ocelot

Examples from the Web for bobcat

Contemporary Examples of bobcat

Though, I still do run the Bobcat from time to time … I swear, my timing has made me the luckiest Marine.
A Man to Believe In: Eulogy for Marine Master Sergeant Aaron Torian
Elliot Ackerman
March 5, 2014
BobcatBy Rebecca Lee For sheer reading pleasure, Bobcat is at the top of my late spring list for first story collections.
Happy Short Story Month! Three New Must-Read Collections
Jane Ciabattari
May 24, 2013
I had a bobcat and a threelegged fox that got caught in a trap.
Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco Chronicle Mining Catastrophes in West Virginia
Chris Hedges, Joe Sacco
June 14, 2012

Historical Examples of bobcat

A bobcat hates dogs about as much as human beings do skunks.
With Trapper Jim in the North Woods
Lawrence J. Leslie
And that spiteful Bobcat, that took advantage of him; and the man that had tried to kill him.
The Biography of a Grizzly
Ernest Seton-Thompson
"Bobcat," whispered Clark, in a tone which convinced not even himself.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
Then he added: “I thought perhaps a bobcat had stolen your––rabbit.”
The Heart of Thunder Mountain
Edfrid A. Bingham
But the Bobcat, evidently young and inexperienced, gave chase.
Wild Animals at Home
Ernest Thompson Seton

British Dictionary definitions for bobcat

bobcat

noun

a North American feline mammal, Lynx rufus, closely related to but smaller than the lynx, having reddish-brown fur with dark spots or stripes, tufted ears, and a short tailAlso called: bay lynx

Word Origin for bobcat

C19: from bob ² (referring to its short tail) + cat 1

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

Word Origin and History for bobcat

North American lynx, 1873, in a Maine context; so called for its short tail; see bob (n.2) + cat (n.).