margay cat
- noun
- /ˈmɑrɡeɪ kæt/
- US
:
gato margay
- Unlike other wild cats, the margay cat can rotate its ankles to climb down trees headfirst.
Examples
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The margay cat is nocturnal and spends most of its life in the trees.
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Many margay cats live in the rainforests of Brazil.
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Researchers have spotted a margay cat in the dense forests of the Amazon.
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The margay cat is known for its agility.
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Researchers have spotted a margay cat in the dense forests of the Amazon.
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The margay cat is nocturnal and spends most of its life in the trees.
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Many margay cats live in the rainforests of Brazil.
Synonyms
A small spotted wild cat from southern Texas to Brazil, also called the margay
A small spotted wildcat from Central and South America that lives and climbs in trees
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward noun compound combining a species name with the general noun 'cat', so a learner who knows 'margay' (a tree‑dwelling wildcat) and 'cat' will readily infer it refers to a kind of cat. This type of species‑name + classifier composition is common cross‑linguistically and follows regular compositional semantics, making the meaning transparent to B1 learners who know the constituents.
Etymology
Margay cat may come from an old native word in Brazil that Portuguese speakers used as 'maracajá' for small spotted cats; the part margay was the local name and cat shows it is a small wild cat. The image of a small, spotted 'tree' cat that lives in forests and is active at night helps explain why the name means this small forest wildcat today.
