palm cat

9.9

A small wild animal like a cat with spots or stripes that lives in trees in Southeast Asian forests

noun

Philippine

: civet

The palm cat is well-adapted to life in the trees of the tropical forests.

Examples

Farmers sometimes see a palm cat searching for food near their plantations at night.
Because of its distinctive markings, the palm cat is often confused with other small wild cats.
The palm cat is a fascinating creature.
Have you ever seen a palm cat in the wild?
Because of its distinctive markings, the palm cat is often confused with other small wild cats.
Farmers sometimes see a palm cat searching for food near their plantations at night.
The palm cat is well-adapted to life in the trees of the tropical forests.

Synonyms

palm civet

vspalm cat

Philippine

9.9

A small nocturnal animal like a cat that lives in trees in Southeast Asia

is the neutral species term noting spotted or striped tree-dwelling form without behavior notes

Surface Forms

palm cat singular

palm cats plural

Morphology

palm + cat

The noun compound combines 'palm' (a tree) and 'cat' (a feline), so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer a cat-like animal associated with palm trees. However, the term actually refers to a specific tree-dwelling civet (not a true cat) with regional/zoological specificity, so the exact referent is not fully predictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Palm cat: The name palm cat comes from people finding a small, cat-like animal up in palm trees where it often ate palm fruit, so they called it a palm cat. That's why the name refers to a 'tree-dwelling' small wild cat in tropical forests.