viverrine mammal

9.9

A small cat-like mammal that eats meat, like a civet or genet

noun

Specialized

: mamífero vivérrido

The African civet is a well-known viverrine mammal found in various habitats across the continent.

Examples

Many viverrine mammals have long bodies and short legs, making them agile hunters at night.
Researchers are studying the diet of different viverrine mammals to understand their role in the ecosystem.
The viverrine mammal is often found in tropical forests.
Did you know that a viverrine mammal can be both a civet and a genet?
The African civet is a well-known viverrine mammal found in various habitats across the continent.
Many viverrine mammals have long bodies and short legs, making them agile hunters at night.
Researchers are studying the diet of different viverrine mammals to understand their role in the ecosystem.

Synonyms

mammal

vsviverrine mammal

198 1.0

An animal that keeps its body warm, has hair, and whose mothers feed their young with milk

is narrower, meaning a small cat-like predator group rather than all such animals

viverrine

vsviverrine mammal

Specialized

9.9

A small, cat-like wild animal like a civet or genet that eats insects and small animals

is the same meaning but adds the descriptive noun for clarity

Surface Forms

viverrine mammal singular

viverrine mammals plural

Morphology

viverrine + mammal

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'viverrine' (a civet- or genet-like predatory mammal) with 'mammal' — it simply denotes a mammal of the viverrine type. Although 'viverrine' is a low-frequency word, a learner who knows both constituents can readily interpret the phrase via the normal adjective+noun composition pattern.

Etymology

Viverrine mammal comes from the old Latin word 'viverra', which was the name for the civet, and the parts viverrine and mammal paint a picture of a small, cat-like animal with a long body; so today it means 'a civet-like mammal' such as genets or civets.