ratel

American  

[rayt-l, raht-l] / ˈreɪt l, ˈrɑt l /

noun

1. a badgerlike carnivore, Mellivora capensis, of Africa and India.

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ratel British  

/ ˈreɪtəl /

noun

1. Also called: honey badger. a musteline mammal, Mellivora capensis , inhabiting wooded regions of Africa and S Asia. It has a massive body, strong claws, and a thick coat that is paler on the back and it feeds on honey and small animals

2. a six-wheeled armoured vehicle

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Etymology

Origin of ratel

1770–80; < Afrikaans < Dutch dialect ratel, variant of raat honeycomb; perhaps originally a compound with this word, referring to the animal's fondness for honey

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ratel

But the little ratel met that regal stare squarely and unmoved.

From The Way of the Wild by Harry Rountree

She went there a great deal to study the animals, and was particularly fond of the "poor dear ratel" that used to turn somersaults.

From Mathilde Blind by George Eliot

Finally, the bird stopped; and the ratel looked, and saw that it was flitting round the base of a big mimosa.

From The Way of the Wild by Harry Rountree

I have already alluded to the Cape ratel doing this on the look-out for bees.

From Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon by Robert Armitage Sterndale

Now, that lion did not want the ratel at all, or his wife, or his family, or anything that was his.

From The Way of the Wild by Harry Rountree

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