catamount

[ kat-uh-mount ]

/ ˈkæt əˌmaʊnt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR catamount ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Nearby words

catamaran, catamarca, catamenia, catamite, catamnesis, catamount, catamountain, catananche, catania, catanzaro, cataphasia

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

There was no time to retreat, for he heard, close by, an angry snarl from the catamount.
The Camp in the Snow|William Murray Graydon
The strange, upright pupils of the catamount's eyes narrowed and dilated at the sight, and his muscles quivered to sudden tension.
The Watchers of the Trails|Charles G. D. Roberts
A catamount would tear you to bits with his great claws before you could run!
The Children of the Valley|Harriet Prescott Spofford
Our native hunters never heard the word lynx, but call the animal a “catamount.”
Our Southern Highlanders|Horace Kephart

Or, chased and hurt By wolf or catamount, thy task undone, Thy precious life would then be thrown away.
Laura Secord, the heroine of 1812|Sarah Anne Curzon

British Dictionary definitions for catamount

catamount

catamountain

/ (ˈkætəˌmaʊnt) /

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

catamount

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of catamount

Examples from the Web for catamount

British Dictionary definitions for catamount

catamount

catamountain

noun

Word Origin for catamount