lynx
[lingks]
- any of several wildcats of the genus Lynx (or Felis), having long limbs, a short tail, and usually tufted ears, especially L. lynx (Canada lynx), of Canada and the northern U.S., having grayish-brown fur marked with white.
- genitive Lyn·cis [lin-sis] /ˈlɪn sɪs/. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. a northern constellation between Ursa Major and Auriga.
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Origin of lynx
1300–50; Middle English < Latin < Greek lýnx
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for lynx
Contemporary Examples
In a Lynx, however, Harry could take part in reconnaissance missions and transport passengers.
The Lynx can be refueled like a car and will be able to fly four times a day.
I went to see the Lynx being built at Mojave Air and Space Port, near Edwards Air Force Base in the California desert.
Some are also unhappy about the Italian sale of Lynx armored personnel carriers to Russia.
A Royal Navy Pilot sits inside a Lynx helicopter at RAF Odiham air base today ahead of a rehearsal for a Diamond Jubilee flypast.
Historical Examples
Once, the cub sprang in and sank his teeth into the hind leg of the lynx.
White FangJack London
It was a lynx kitten, partly grown, like the cub, but not so large.
White FangJack London
The lynx was uppermost, and she made a vicious snap at the boy's face.
The Fiery TotemArgyll Saxby
First for the tail of my lynx, and then a bee-line for the camp.
The Fiery TotemArgyll Saxby
With the disappearance of rabbits, the fox and lynx had also disappeared.
The Gaunt Gray WolfDillon Wallace
lynx
- a feline mammal, Felis lynx (or canadensis), of Europe and North America, with grey-brown mottled fur, tufted ears, and a short tailRelated adjective: lyncean
- the fur of this animal
- bay lynx another name for bobcat
- desert lynx another name for caracal
- Also called: Polish lynx a large fancy pigeon from Poland, with spangled or laced markings
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Word Origin
C14: via Latin from Greek lunx; related to Old English lox, German Luchs
Lynx
- a faint constellation in the N hemisphere lying between Ursa Major and Cancer
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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 lynx
n.
mid-14c., from Latin lynx (source of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian lince), from Greek lyngz, perhaps from PIE *leuk- "light" (see light (n.)), in reference to its gleaming eyes or its ability to see in the dark.
If that men hadden eyghen of a beeste that highte lynx, so that the lokynge of folk myghte percen thurw the thynges that withstonden it. [Chaucer's "Boethius," c.1380]
Cf. Lithuanian luzzis, Old High German luhs, German luchs, Old English lox, Dutch los, Swedish lo "lynx."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper