ocelot

[os-uh-lot, oh-suh-]

See more synonyms for ocelot on Thesaurus.com

noun

a spotted leopardlike cat, Felis pardalis, ranging from Texas through South America: now greatly reduced in number and endangered in the U.S.

Origin of ocelot

1765–75; < French, apparently arbitrary shortening of Nahuatl tlālōcēlōtl ocelot, equivalent to tlāl(li) earth, land + ōcēlōtl jaguar

Related formsoc·e·loid, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ocelot

puma, panther, tabby, kitty, lynx, tiger, cougar, lion, puss, kitten, leopard, bobcat, jaguar, tomcat, pussy, ocelot, tom, cheetah, mouser, grimalkin

Examples from the Web for ocelot

Historical Examples of ocelot

It was, as had been supposed, an ocelot, the most beautiful creature of that region.
In the Wilds of Florida
W.H.G. Kingston
This is well shown in the ocelot, Fig. 15, and in many other cats.
Colouration in Animals and Plants
Alfred Tylor
"The Ocelot bounds away too quickly," he observed, as if offended.
The Treasure of Pearls
Gustave Aimard
The ocelot is next only to the jaguar in ferocity and daring.
Lost in the Wilds of Brazil
James H. Foster
America has several Tiger-Cats, foremost amongst which may be mentioned the Ocelot.
The Book of Cats
Charles H. Ross

British Dictionary definitions for ocelot

ocelot

noun

a feline mammal, Felis pardalis, inhabiting the forests of Central and South America and having a dark-spotted buff-brown coat

Word Origin for ocelot

C18: via French from Nahuatl ocelotl jaguar

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 ocelot

"large wildcat of Central and South America," 1775, from French ocelot, a word formed by French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788), from Nahuatl ocelotl "jaguar" (in full tlalocelotl, a compound formed with tlalli "field").