ring-tailed cat
- noun
- /ˈrɪŋˌteɪld kæt/
- US
:
gato de cola anillada
- The ring-tailed cat is known for its distinctive tail.
Examples
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A ring-tailed cat was spotted searching for food near the campsite in Arizona.
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Despite its name, the ring-tailed cat is more closely related to raccoons than to domestic cats.
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The ring-tailed cat is known for its agility and striking black-and-white tail.
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Have you ever seen a ring-tailed cat in the wild?
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In the desert, I saw a ring-tailed cat climbing a tree to escape from a potential predator.
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The ring-tailed cat is known for its distinctive tail, which has alternating black and white rings.
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While camping, we spotted a ring-tailed cat searching for food near our campsite.
Synonyms
A small animal like a raccoon with a long bushy tail with black and white rings
A small North American mammal like a raccoon with a long bushy tail with black and white rings
A small mammal like a raccoon with a long bushy tail ringed black and white
A small animal like a raccoon with a long tail with black and white rings
A raccoon-like animal from Mexico and southwestern US with a long bushy tail with black-and-white rings
Surface Forms
Morphology
ring-tailed + cat
The phrase is compositionally built from 'ring-tailed' (having a tail marked by rings) + 'cat' (an animal), so a learner who knows 'ring', 'tail' and 'cat' can infer it refers to a cat-like animal with a tail banded by rings. Even though the species is not a true cat, the descriptive, picturable meaning is directly derivable and follows a common noun-modifier pattern, making it transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Ring-tailed cat gets its name from its long bushy tail with black-and-white rings and from people who thought it looked like a small cat. The parts ring, tailed, and cat make the picture of a 'cat' with a ringed tail, so the name points to the tail pattern rather than to a true cat.
