genet

or ge·nette

[ jen-it, juh-net ]

noun

any small, Old World carnivore of the genus Genetta, especially G. genetta, having spotted sides and a ringed tail.
the fur of such an animal.

Origin of genet

1375–1425; late Middle English <Old French genette<Arabic jarnait

Other definitions for genet (2 of 4)

genet²

[ jen-it ]

noun

jennet (def. 2).

Other definitions for Genet (3 of 4)

Genet

[ zhuh-ney; French zhuh-ne ]

noun

Jean [zhahn], /ʒɑ̃/, 1910–86, French playwright and novelist.

Other definitions for Genêt (4 of 4)

Genêt

[ zhuh-ney; French zhuh-ne ]

noun

Ed·mond Charles E·douard [ed-mawnsharl ey-dwar], /ɛdˈmɔ̃ ʃarl eɪˈdwar/, "Citizen Genêt", 1763–1834, French minister to the U.S. in 1793.
pen name of Janet Flanner.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use genet in a sentence

Its name signifies Col des Genets, and it occupies the site of an old bordj or rest-house of former days.
In the Land of Mosques & Minarets | Francis Miltoun
The warm air was laden with the smell of genets, the sky was brightly blue over our white lattice.
The Tower of Oblivion | Oliver Onions
The genets (Genetta) are smaller animals, with more elongated and slender bodies, and shorter limbs than the civets.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4 | Various
Our friend Manuel de la Torre killed three genets in Estremadura that were entirely black, and rather smaller than the average.
Wild Spain (Espaa agreste) | Abel Chapman
The Genets constitute a division of the civet-weasel tribe; and one of which there are numerous species.
Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found | Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for genet (1 of 3)

genet¹

genette (dʒɪˈnɛt)

/ (ˈdʒɛnɪt) /

noun

any agile catlike viverrine mammal of the genus Genetta, inhabiting wooded regions of Africa and S Europe, having an elongated head, thick spotted or blotched fur, and a very long tail
the fur of such an animal

Origin of genet

C15: from Old French genette, from Arabic jarnayt

British Dictionary definitions for genet (2 of 3)

genet²

/ (ˈdʒɛnɪt) /

noun

an obsolete spelling of jennet

British Dictionary definitions for Genet (3 of 3)

Genet

/ (French ʒənɛ) /

noun

Jean (ʒɑ̃). 1910–86, French dramatist and novelist; his novels include Notre-Dame des Fleurs (1944) and his plays Les Bonnes (1947) and Le Balcon (1956)

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

Browse