large civet
- noun
- Indian
:
civeta grande
- The large civet is often found in forests across southeast Asia and India.
Examples
-
Researchers tracked several large civets to study their habitats and behaviors.
-
A large civet was spotted by the river during a late-night wildlife survey.
-
The large civet is often seen at night.
-
Many large civets inhabit the forests of India.
-
A large civet was spotted by the river during a late-night wildlife survey.
-
Researchers tracked several large civets to study their habitats and behaviors.
-
The large civet is often found in forests across southeast Asia and India.
Synonyms
A large civet from India and Southeast Asia with a long body, short legs, and a strong musky smell
Antonyms
A small animal like a cat that is active at night and lives in Southeast Asian forests
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a simple attributive adjective + noun combination where 'large' straightforwardly modifies 'civet', so the overall meaning ('a civet that is relatively large') is directly derivable from the constituents. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift and this compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it.
Etymology
Large civet likely comes from people noticing a civet that was bigger than others. Here large describes its size and civet is the animal, so the name means 'a relatively big civet'.
