ocelot
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ocelot
1765–75; < French, apparently arbitrary shortening of Nahuatl tlālōcēlōtl ocelot, equivalent to tlāl ( li ) earth, land + ōcēlōtl jaguar
Compare meaning
How does ocelot compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Vocabulary lists containing ocelot
National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
English Words Derived from Nahuatl
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Akers would like to see all hermit crabs legally reclassified as exotic pets, like an alligator or an ocelot, so their sale and ownership could be regulated.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025
There’s a new ocelot kitten at the Los Angeles Zoo, delighting zookeepers and visitors.
From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
Visitors to the Los Angeles Zoo will soon have the chance to catch a glimpse of a new ocelot kitten, which zoo officials said is almost big enough to enter the animal’s public habitat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
“It’s not one of our native big cat species, mountain lion, bobcat, ocelot or jaguar. It’s pretty big for a house cat,” Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesman Tom Cadden told The Arizona Republic Wednesday.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 16, 2023
The instrument consists of an oblong body to which four ocelot heads are fixed, one at each end and the others at the sides.
From Ancient art of the province of Chiriqui, Colombia Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1884-1885, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1888, pages 3-188 by Holmes, William Henry
With them go their predators, the jaguars, ocelots and—yes—anacondas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
Birds sing among dense copses of mesquite trees; flowers hang heavily from bushes; ocelots and jaguars pass through.
From Slate ● May 26, 2025
Eventually they spotted ocelots and golden eagles, six different species of rattlesnake and a jaguar.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 18, 2023
Earlier this year, Reuters reported for the first time that scientists were finding mammals, from titi monkeys to ocelots, showing signs of mercury contamination near a Peruvian gold mining hotspot.
From Reuters ● Nov. 1, 2023
Sleepiness and slothfulness keep it out of harm’s way, away from the notice of jaguars, ocelots, harpy eagles and anacondas.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
