catamount

[kat-uh-mount]

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noun

a wild animal of the cat family, especially the cougar or the lynx.

catamountain.

Origin of catamount

First recorded in 1655–65; short for catamountain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for catamount

Historical Examples of catamount

Which I ain't in the habit of bein' took lightly by no catamount.
Faro Nell and Her Friends
Alfred Henry Lewis
Probably her mother who probably too was the catamount's sister.
The Paliser case
Edgar Saltus
A catamount,” replied Jerry, “or Indian Devil, as some call them.
The Camp in the Snow
William Murray Graydon
It was as large a catamount as the two Maine lads had ever seen.
The Camp in the Snow
William Murray Graydon
I can kill a catamount as easy as a deer if I get the chance.
The Camp in the Snow
William Murray Graydon

British Dictionary definitions for catamount

catamount

catamountain

noun

any of various medium-sized felines, such as the puma or lynx

Word Origin for catamount

C17: short for cat of the mountain

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 catamount

1660s, shortening of cat-o'-mountain (1610s), from cat of the mountain (early 15c.), a name aplied to various types of wildcat.