Felis

[fee-lis]

noun

1. a genus of mostly small cats, including the domestic cat, margay, puma, and ocelot, sharing with certain cats of related genera an inability to roar due to ossification of the hyoid bone in the larynx.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Felis¹

< New Latin (Linnaeus); Latin fēlis, fēlēs any of several small carnivores, including the wild cat