viverrine

or vi·ver·rid

[ vahy-ver-ahyn, -in, vi- ]

adjective

of or relating to the Viverridae, a family of small carnivorous mammals including the civets, genets, palm cats, etc.

noun

a viverrine animal.

Origin of viverrine

1790–1800; <New Latin viverrīnus, equivalent to Viverr(a) a genus name (Latin vīverra the ferret or a similar animal; akin to Lithuanian voverė̃,Old Russian věveritsa,Old English ācwern,Old High German eihhurno squirrel) + -īnus-ine¹

Words Nearby viverrine

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

How to use viverrine in a sentence

viverrine, vī-ver′in, adj. pertaining to the Viverrid, one of the four families of the luroidea section of Carnivora.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) | Various
The general form is viverrine, and the hallux is sometimes present though small.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia | Frank Evers Beddard
There is the full viverrine dentition, with five premolars in the upper jaw; but this may be an abnormality.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia | Frank Evers Beddard

British Dictionary definitions for viverrine

viverrine

/ (vaɪˈvɛraɪn) /

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Viverridae, a family of small to medium-sized predatory mammals of Eurasia and Africa, including genets, civets and mongooses: order Carnivora (carnivores)

noun

any animal belonging to the family Viverridae

Origin of viverrine

C19: from New Latin viverrīnus, from Latin viverra a ferret

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

Scientific definitions for viverrine

viverrine

[ vī-vĕr′ĭn, -īn′ ]

Characteristic of or resembling civets or their kin.

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